The 75th Hunger Games: Katniss's Nightmare
by aruano
Summary: When President Snow announces the third Quarter Quell's twist, Katniss is terrified. Only family and friends of last years tributes can be reaped. Finally complete!
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Katniss's POV

I wake up drenched in sweat. _Another nightmare_, I think. My dream had been awful. I had seen my life go by in a flash. _Go to the reaping. Mentor children. Watch them die. Go back home. See their faces in your dreams. Repeat._ Over and over again, every year, becoming like Haymitch, a drunk all the time, because I fail my tributes every year.

My name is Katniss Everdeen. I won the Hunger Games. President Snow hates me because I started a rebellion. Now he will make me marry Peeta and then kill my children. And I know my tributes will always die because Snow can kill everyone I care about, trying to break me.

I look at my clock. It is 4:30 in the morning. I might as well stay up. I can't go back to sleep to face the horrible nightmares about the games, or mentoring tributes who die every year. I go into the kitchen and make myself breakfast.

As I eat, I think about what the day will bring. Today President Snow will announce the horrifying twist in the 75th Hunger Games. I remember that for the first Quarter Quell each district selected its tributes and for the second there were twice as many tributes. That was the year Haymitch won. My mother's friend, Maysilee Donner was in those games. I feel a suffocating rage toward the Capitol for creating these sadistic games. I don't know they can live with themselves, watching kids kill each other for entertainment and betting on how long they'll live. I suddenly lose my appetite and wash my plate. I wish I could go into the woods, but I can't. I will stay there too long, and I have to be here at 2:00. My mother is also expecting me to be here for lunch. So instead of going into the woods like I wish I could, I sit down on the couch and wait.

A few hours later, my mother and Prim are up and Peeta and Haymitch are here. The three of us discuss how we will mentor this years tributes. "Easy," I say. "I mentor the girl, Peeta mentors the boy, and you deal with sponsors."

"It's not that easy sweetheart. You have to see what these tributes are good at. You will mentor whichever tribute you will be more helpful to. If the boy is good at hunting and the girl is good at hand to hand combat, wouldn't it make sense that you mentor the male, Katniss?"

"I guess so. But if that's how we decide who mentors who, then why are we discussing this now? Shouldn't we wait to find out who are tributes are?"

Peeta speaks up. "Katniss, Haymitch has been mentoring for years. There's probably a lot of stuff we need to get the hang of, like signing up sponsors. Haymitch isn't going to be here forever, you know."

Peeta does have a point. I check the clock. It is almost 1:00. The Quarter Quell announcement will be at 2:00. Gale should be here soon.

"Guys, Snow's announcement is in an hour. Gale will be here any minute. Just as I say this, he walks in.

"Hey, Catnip," he says.

"Hi Gale. Snow's going to announce the Quarter Quell and the wedding, probably. He hasn't announced it yet."

_The wedding._ Snow is making Peeta and I get married. Once we are married, he will make us have children that he will send to the games. Otherwise he will kill Gale and Prim, my mother, Madge, Hazelle, and everyone else I care about.

I see Gale's body go stiff. I can tell he wants to explode, but all he does is nod stiffly.

Lunch is strangely quiet, even though we have more people than usual with us. At exactly 2:00, we turn on our TV. The anthem plays and President Snow is on. He tells the history of Panem, about the Dark Days and the Hunger Games, and how every twenty-five years, there would be a Quarter Quell, a twist in the games.

"For the first Quarter Quell, the districts voted on who would represent them as tributes. For the second Quarter Quell, there were twice as many tributes, two boys and two girls from each district. Now, for the third Quarter Quell," President Snow paused to take out a card from a box marked with a 75. He read it. "To show that the Capitol controls everything, including our victors, the eligible ages for the seventy-fifth Hunger Games will be changed to ages eleven to nineteen, and our tributes will be chosen from the family and friends of last years tributes. There will be no volunteers." The seal appears, the anthem plays and the screen goes black. I sit, frozen in shock, staring at the black screen, as the reality of what Snow just said sinks in. Suddenly I feel myself blindly running hearing Peeta call my name as he chases after me. But I ignore and keep running until I am safe in the woods.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: I am posting this chapter right after chapter one, so I don't know who reviewed it. Please review and tell me how to improve my writing since this is my first fanfiction! **

Chapter Two

Katniss's POV

When I reach the place where Gale and I meet, I sit down and cry. I know That couldn't have been what the card said. Somehow I know Snow changed it. He changed the ages so District 12 could have a male tribute. The only eligible people are Gale and Peeta's brother, both nineteen. I guess Rory is eligible too, but I know Snow wants Gale in that arena, and he will have almost fifty slips of paper with his name on it. Rory and Peeta's brother will only have one each. It makes sense that Snow would do this now. I started a rebellion, so now Snow is trying to break me, like he broke Haymitch.

I continue thinking. There are only three eligible girls for District 12. Delly Cartwright, a girl Peeta used to play with when he was little, Madge Undersee, my only friend and the mayor's daughter, and Prim. Prim might be facing her death in a week and all I have been through in the past year will have been for nothing because she will have died anyway. I would have failed her as a mentor and as a sister. Realizing that makes me cry even harder.

I don't know how long I've been there, crying my eyes out, when I hear someone say, "I figured this is where you'd be." I look up and see Gale standing in front of me. He sits down next to me and I cry into his shoulder.

"You're going into the arena, Gale," I sob. Saying it out loud makes it even harder to think about."

"It's okay Katniss. I'll be fine."

"No you won't Gale! Even if you win, you'll still be a murderer. You'll still see the faces of the kids you killed haunting you in your dreams! That's not okay! And Prim…"

"Her name's only in there twice, Katniss. She won't be picked."

"That's what I said last year and she got picked! The only other two people there are will be Delly and Madge! I don't want them to die either!"

"Katniss, calm down. You should probably go talk to Haymitch and Peeta about what you're going to do. You should probably train the girls and Peeta's brother. I'll be fine. I can hunt."

"That's actually a really good idea Gale. I think I'll do that."

A few hours later, Haymitch, Peeta, Gale and I are in the woods with Prim, Madge, Delly, and Peeta's brother Mason.

"Okay," Peeta says. "We want both tributes from twelve to survive this year because they are going to be close to us. Haymitch, Katniss, Gale, and I are going to teach you everything we know about survival within the next week. The games are going to be dangerous this year. We'll be against someone close to Cato, and you'll be the first they're going to want, since we killed them both last year."

When Peeta is done talking Gale and I help our prospective tributes with snares and shooting, along with other hunting tecniques. We do this every day for the whole week, and by the end of the week we are sure both tributes from 12 will get at least an 8 in training. The day before the reaping, I go to sleep in peace, knowing that no matter who our tributes are, they have a pretty good chance of coming home.

**A/N: I know this chapter is short but I will try to get another chapter posted by tomorrow. Please, please, please review and help me improve my writing. I will appreciate any constructive criticism anyone has for me.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: Thank you so much for reviewing my story! I am so sorry I haven't updated in ages! This chapter is really short, so sorry. I think chapter four is also kinda short but chapter five is gonna be long. I'll try to update again by the end of the week, but I'm on vacation so I don't know if I'll be able to.**

Chapter Three

Katniss's POV

When I wake up on the day of the reaping, I almost throw up thinking about what could and will happen today. I am up early, and I know my mother and Prim won't be up for a while. I am about to go to the woods when I hear the phone ring. I wonder who could be calling me. Gale doesn't have a phone, and Peeta and Haymitch live right next door. I suppose it could be Madge, but she knows the phones are bugged. I answer the phone cautiously. Anyone from the Capitol could be calling.

"Hello?" I say warily.

"Katniss?" says a familiar voice.

"Oh, Cinna, it's you!" I exclaim, relieved.

"Katniss, Caesar Flickerman wants to interview you and Peeta with the other tributes. Is that all right?"

"Why?"

"Remember the wedding dresses? How Snow never showed them on TV?"

"Oh, yeah!" I say, remembering now. "I got a little distracted."

"I know," he says sympathetically. " Anyway, he wanted to show the dresses and the amount of votes they got at the interview."

"Okay. See you tomorrow."

There are only a few hours left until the reaping, and I wanted to go see Gale, so I just skip the woods. Instead, I head straight to his house, grabbing a bag of blackberries before leaving. When I arrive, Hazelle answers the door. "Hi, Katniss," she says, hugging me.

"Hi, Hazelle, where's Gale?"

"He's in his room."

"Thanks," I say.

When Gale sees me, I toss a blackberry in a high arc in the air, mimicking Effie Trinket's ridiculous accent. "Happy Hunger Games!" I say.

He catches the berry and answers, "And may the odds be ever in your favor."

For a couple of hours, we just relax, enjoying each other's company in silence, pretending the Hunger Games don't exist. Around eleven I get up and hug him goodbye. Then I head home.

When I get back, I help Prim into a floral yellow dress. Then my mother puts her hair in two long braids. Before I leave for the square, I give Prim my mockingjay pin. "This pin kept me alive in the arena last year; I'm hoping it will keep you out this year." I kiss her forehead and head toward the square. When I get there, I sit down in between Peeta and Haymitch.

At exactly one o'clock, Mayor Undersee reads the Treaty of Treason. Then Effie Trinket comes up to the stage, in a florescent yellow wig this year. In her ridiculous Capitol accent she says, "Happy Hunger Games, and may the odds be ever in your favor." I find Gale in the crowd, looking at me. I roll my eyes slightly and he smiles. Peeta takes my clammy hand. I don't pull away. "Ladies first!" Effie says. I feel like throwing up. I hold my breath, shut my eyes and think, _Not Prim. Not Prim. Not Prim, _over and over again. Effie reaches into the glass ball and pulls out a slip. _There's no way I can win this. It's either my sister or one of my best friends, _I think. Effie opens the slip, clears her throat, and says, "Madge Undersee."

I let out a breath, relieved, but then suck it back in when I realize that Madge, one of my best friends, is going instead. Madge walks up to the stage in a stunning pale pink dress. I can tell she was expecting this, but I can also tell she wants to cry. I feel a wave of pity for her when I remember that her mother has been sick for years. She won't even be able to say goodbye to her.

Effie walks over to the other glass ball. The majority of them have Gale's name written on them, so I'm not surprised when she announces, "Gale Hawthorne." While the cameras are trained on him, I let out a strangled cry and recompose myself quickly.

"Ladies and gentlemen, District Twelve's tributes for the 75th annual Hunger Games. May the odds be ever in your favor."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N: Sorry I couldn't update this weekend. I was in the car most of the day on my way back from vacation. Updates might slow down because of the Olympics, because I really love them and they take up way too much DVR space to record. I promise I will update again this weekend, unless we go to Miami to visit my family. It's a five hour drive, and I don't think they have wifi. I'll bring my laptop just in case though. I've been meaning to respond to reviews so I'm going to now.**

**Free-Bird 36: Thanks for being the first reviewer! I was actually pretty surprised that people were actually reading at first. I was so happy when I got an email from the website that said someone reviewed. Thanks!**

** .mellark: I know. I thought of that too before I started writing the story. I was pretty sure someone had written about this before but I really wanted to write it. I get what you mean, and I have come up with a few ideas that I think are pretty original, like the design of the arena. I appreciate the review! Thanks for the advice!**

**Livingwithobsessions: They might. I've been thinking about it. I don't want people to be able to predict things that are important to the story, but that will definitely happen later on if there's room. I have a whole lot of ideas that I need to add in first. I've definitely thought about it since the beginning though.**

**Nerdygirl42: Thanks so much for the review! My vacation was really fun! The reason I haven't updated in a while is that I had a birthday party for a super adorable three year old with a baby sister. It was really fun! I know this A/N is super long. Sorry. I'll give you the chapter right after the disclaimer I keep forgetting to put in.**

**Disclaimer: The only characters I own in this story are the tributes from Districts 1-11. I do not own the Hunger Games. Suzanne Collins does. If I owned the series, Prim, Rue, and Finnick would still be alive.**

Chapter Four

Katniss's POV

On the way to the Capitol, Haymitch, Peeta, Gale, Madge, and I discuss strategies for the games. "Why don't we separate the tributes?" Peeta suggests. "We make two list. One for potential allies and one for people to avoid at all costs. I can write their districts and their names down. We can create it while we watch the recaps of the reapings."

"That is actually a pretty good idea," says Haymitch. "I should have thought of that a long time ago."

"Let's start with what we already know." I say. "We know that One and Two are out. I killed three of the four tributes from those districts, and they're Careers. District Eleven would be good to ally with. We still owe Thresh and Rue, maybe we can repay them by protecting their families and friends."

"We should choose who we ally with," Gale interrupts.

"But they were in the arena last year. They know which tributes to watch out for since we are against last year's families and friends." Madge points out.

"We'll listen, but we'll choose our own allies."

"Fair enough," I say.

That night, after dinner, we all sit down to watch the reaping. From District One, sixteen-year-old Sparkle, Glimmer's sister, (why does One have such weird names?), steps up to the platform, looking angry. The boy, Royce, a fifteen year old, looks nearly eighteen because he is so tall. He identifies himself as Marvel's cousin. Peeta immediately writes their names under _Enemies_.

District Two's female, Amethyst, is only thirteen years old, but the evil glint in her eye can only come from someone related to Clove. The boy, Carrick, is seventeen. When I first see him I gasp. A thousand memories from the arena come rushing back at me. I can almost hear Cato's tortured screams as the mutts tear him to pieces. Carrick is Cato's twin brother. I know he will want to kill Madge and Gale at any cost. Peeta writes the tributes names under _Enemies_ before Carrick is even up to the podium.

Electra and Titan, from District Three, are fourteen and eighteen respectively. They are probably pretty smart, coming from Three, but they don't stand out. I tell Gale and Madge to watch them in training.

Brooke and Caspian are fifteen and seventeen. Caspian looks brutal, but Brooke just looks scared I think that Brooke might be a good ally if there is a lake or river in the arena, but I don't say anything, remembering to keep an eye on her. After all, she _is_ a Career.

Fourteen-year-old Allura's flaming red hair immediately tells me that she is Foxface's sister. If Allura is anything like her sister, she will be very dangerous. I tell our tributes to avoid her, but don't list her as an enemy yet. The boy, sixteen-year-old Kendrick, is very different from his girlfriend. He is vicious, not cunning. He looks threatening and could win. "Enemy," I whisper to Peeta. He nods.

Amelia is only thirteen years old. She looks really weak. I feel bad for her. She might make a good ally, however. She has a glint in her eyes that tells me that she's a fighter. Eighteen-year-old Albert is worse off than Amelia. He looks like he has never had a decent meal, and I can see his ribs through his shirt.

Willow is only eleven, and she reminds me of Rue so much that tears come to my eyes. I blink them back, making a silent resolution not to cry until I'm alone. Peeta is probably the only person that's ever seen me cry, and it's going to stay that way. I can't have Gale and Madge thinking I'm weak. I have to keep them alive. Carver is nineteen and looks pretty strong. I tell Peeta to list them both as allies.

Thirteen-year-old Velvet looks like her sister. I remember her being the one taken out by the Careers building a fire. They killed her sister, so she'll want revenge. "Ally," I mutter. Carlisle is only twelve and very injured. Apparently he got beaten up by a bully at school defending his little sister. He has a black eye and a broken arm. If he survives the bloodbath, which is highly unlikely, I would like Gale and Madge to look out for him.

Fifteen-year-old Zia of District Nine is also weak. She probably comes from Nine's version of the Seam. Both District Nine tributes died in the bloodbath last year, so they probably don't have much of a chance. But I say, "Ally," anyways, because she seems like me, a fighter. The boy, Rye, is sixteen and also weak. He seems poor, and pity for him washes over me completely. For the second time tonight, I want to cry.

Shelby, from District Ten, is nineteen years old. She is tall and gangly, and looks threatening. She might actually have a chance, unlike her boyfriend, who died in the bloodbath from a crippled leg. Eighteen-year-old Angus is a bit plump, and I'll bet all the money I won from the games, and my house, that he doesn't know how to live without food.

I almost break down again at District Eleven. Thirteen-year-old Jasmine is Rue's best friend, but she looks more like her sister. Rue's brother, Tillman, is only eleven. I vow to keep them alive, along with Madge and Gale. I know it is impossible, but somehow, at this moment I can feel it. I know that somehow they are all coming out alive. I'll find a way.

After the District Twelve reaping we are done, and I am off to my room to figure out how on earth I am going to keep them all alive.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Sorry about making you wait a little longer than expected. I wanted to update Friday, but I didn't get a chance. But this is the longest chapter so far! I will try to update on Tuesday, but I don't know if I'm going to be able to because we're going to a restaurant for dinner that kind of takes a while, and then I'm going to the bookstore to buy Nevermore! I'm super excited for it! For the people who don't know what that is, it's the last Maximum Ride book and it comes out Tuesday, and I'm getting it right away. If you haven't read the series, you really should because they are amazing. I might do a fanfic on those books once I finish this one, but I don't know. I am going to camp on Tuesday too, so if I update, it will probably be a short chapter. I'll do my best to update though.**

Chapter Five

Prim's POV

After seeing Katniss and the others off, I really don't have much to do. I decide to go down to the bakery and look at Peeta's cakes. When I arrive, Mr. Mellark is at the cash register. "Hi, Prim!" He greets me warmly. During last year's Games, he came over every Sunday with cookies and bread for my mother and us since Katniss wasn't home to hunt. He'd also watch the Games with us. Ever since then, I've really liked him. He's almost like a real dad. _Almost._

"Hi." I grin.

"What do you need today, Prim?"

"Just looking. I've loved looking at the cakes ever since I was little."

"Yes. Peeta's great at frosting the cakes. He does the cookies, too."

I get an idea. "I'll take a dozen cookies," I say.

"Okay."

After paying for the cookies, I head to the mayor's house. Mr. Undersee is outside, pacing. "I'm here to see Marissa."

He nods and lets me in. Mrs. Undersee is lying in her bed, as usual. Tears are in her eyes, and I know she's been crying for a while. I go over and give her a hug. "Did you give her the locket?" she whispers.

"She promised to wear it in the arena." I reply. "She asked me to tell you that she misses you, and that she loves you, too."

Mrs. Undersee started sobbing. "She'll come back," I whisper. "Katniss won't let her die. She even told me to give our money to sponsor her. Katniss gave us a whole bunch before she left. I'll send in money every day. "And I'll come watch the Games with you. So will Vick and Rory. That way you won't be alone," I promise.

"Thank you." She gives me a hug before I leave.

Katniss's POV

"I wake up to Effie saying it's another "big, big day!" I moan and force myself to get up. I get dressed and head down to breakfast. Last night, when we got to the Capitol, I was so exhausted that I just skipped dinner. Now I am starving. Everyone is already at the table, including Cinna and Portia.

After greeting everyone, Cinna says, "Tomorrow night, after the tributes' interviews, you and Peeta will be interviewed together. You'll be wearing the dress the Capitol voted on. You'll see it tomorrow."

The rest of the day is spent catching up. I suddenly remember something. I take Peeta and Haymitch to the roof. "They both need to get out alive," I say. "And Eleven."

"Don't worry, Katniss. I've spoken to the Head Gamemaker, Plutarch Heavensbee, and he will make sure they're safe."

"What?!"

"He's part of the rebellion in Thirteen."

"Thirteen doesn't exist."

"It does, Katniss," Peeta interrupts. "On the footage from Thirteen, it's always the same background. There's always the bottom of a Mockingjay's wing at the top of the screen."

Peeta's right. I've seen it before. "So?"

"That means they aren't taking it live, which means they don't want us to see the real district."

"They live underground now," Haymitch says.

"Say Thirteen did exist," I say carefully. "How would that help us in the Games?"

"Plutarch will make sure no one from a significant district dies. That would be Three, Four, Eleven, and Twelve. A week into the Games, hovercrafts from Thirteen will take the tributes from those districts, along with any other survivors, to Thirteen. A day before that, he will be getting the families of the survivors safely into the district."

"What about the force field?"

"Gale will shoot an arrow at a kink. District Three can tell where it is and they'll tell him where to shoot. He won't know it will destroy the arena. He really hates the Capitol. There's no way we can tell him about this plan."

"What about Madge? I think she should know. She might be able to make sure Gale doesn't find out."

"We can tell her. After we're done here, we need to go tell Madge and Gale who to stay with in the arena. After that we will keep her and tell her."

"Wait, how can we guarantee that all of them will get out? What happens if they die by accident?"

"The arena is designed to play to their strengths. As long as Gale and Madge stick with the right people, they should be fine."

"Okay. But if _any one of them_ dies in there, I will personally kill the Gamemakers."

"Okay. Now we should probably go to dinner."

At dinner we all talk and make jokes, but only halfheartedly. We are all thinking about the games. When we are finished, we make our way up to the roof. Everyone except Effie joins us.

We wait in silence on the roof until we see Seeder and Chaff with Jasmine and Tillman.

"Hi," I say, introducing myself. "I'm Katniss. I don't think we've really met." Obviously, we all know each other, but we haven't spoken at all.

"I'm Seeder, and this is Chaff," says Seeder, extending her hand.

"Hi, Jasmine. I'm Katniss," I say, giving her a hug. I do the same with Tillman. I bring Gale, Madge, Peeta, and Haymitch. I have to do the talking with this group, because I knew Rue the best. "These are the other District Twelve mentors, Peeta and Haymitch, and these are the tributes, Gale and Madge. They'd like to be your allies."

Jasmine nods. "Okay," she says. I see sadness flash across her face for a brief moment. I give her a hug and say, "I'm so sorry. I know this is terrible, but you're going to come out of there. I promise." I see a tear silently roll down her cheek. I want to say more, about how I'm sorry about Rue, but I can't. I'm on the verge of tears myself. I just wipe her eyes and straighten up.

"I want you all to stay together during training," says Peeta. "But avoid everything you're good at. Edible plants, knives, camouflage, shooting, anything that will give the Careers a hint as to what you're good at."

They all nod. Once everyone is gone except Madge, Haymitch, and Peeta, Haymitch explains the rebellion to Madge. She nods occasionally, letting the information sink in. "So my family will be evacuated from the district before the rebellion starts?"

"Yes," says Haymitch. "Along with Gale's, Katniss's, and Peeta's. Delly will be evacuated too, since she and Peeta have been friends for quite a while."

"Okay, I guess we should all go to bed now," I suggest. "The chariot rides are tomorrow night, and we need to be ready."

"Not yet," says Haymitch.

"What is it?"

"The rebellion needs a face. A victor. Someone young."

"How about Finnick? He's the most popular."

"I'm talking about you, sweetheart. President Coin, the leader of Thirteen, wants you to be the face of the rebellion, the Mockingjay."

Well, at least they asked me first. "Let me sleep on it," I say, and head to my room.

**A/N: Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review!**

**LucidChocolate: I know! I was originally going to put Prim in the Games, but I love her so much and it kind of made Katniss volunteering kind of pointless, so I put Madge in instead.**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: OMG I'm sooo sorry I haven't update in ages. I know this chapter is really short but I wanted to get something up since school starts tomorrow. I won't be able to update until at least next Tuesday. When I get back the chariot rides will be a chapter and then I think two chapters of training. Since for the next two weeks I won't have wifi available I will start stockpiling on chapters so that when I don't have time to write I will be able to just post the chapter. I'm not going to reply to the reviews today since I don't have much time but I will next time. Sorry for the delay. **

Chapter Six

Katniss's POV

The next morning when I get to the breakfast table, everyone looks at me expectantly. I wonder why, until I remember the discussion we had last night. Only Gale and Effie are oblivious. I decide to ignore it for now, and discuss the issue later. I had a hard time falling asleep last night, but eventually I came up with a conclusion that pleased me.

"So, Cinna," I begin, as an attempt to lighten the mood "What do you and Portia have in mind for the costumes this year?"

"It's a surprise," he says slowly. "All I can say is that this year we are focusing on the coal itself, since we can't use the same idea twice in a row. But trust me, even though it sounds awful, it will be lovely. We wouldn't condemn your friends by making them look awful," he finishes, only half joking.

"Even if you tried, you couldn't make them look terrible."

As I finish my meal, I take Haymitch and Peeta aside. "I need some fresh air," I whisper.

"Got it," says Haymitch.

"I'll be the Mockingjay," I begin, once we are safely on the roof. "But I have a few conditions. I get to fight. My family is safe. District 13 has to protect them. If any one of them dies, I quit. The same goes for Peeta and the other victors. And Gale, Madge, and Peeta's familes." Peeta interrupts me.

"I want to fight, Katniss," he says. "If I die, it's for a good cause. I know I'm risking my life. And as long as you're the Mockingjay, you're family is safe. If you quit, they don't have to protect them anymore."

I nod stiffly. He has a point. "Fine. If they want to fight, they can. I can't force them not to. But protect the others." I pause for a moment, then continue, "Madge's mom will be treated. And I kill Snow. That's all."

"I'll tell President Coin.

Madge's POV

I wince as Venia, Flavius, and Octavia pull all the hair off my legs.

"That's the last of it," says Octavia.

Flavius moves on to my hair, Venia does my nails, and Octavia does my makeup. When they are finally done, they call in Cinna.

"Hello Madge," he greets. "Katniss has told me so much about you. Put on your robe. Let's go eat before I get you into your costume."

I nod and follow him silently. When we are seated, I ask, "What did you do with the costumes this year?"

"Well, I'm focusing on the mine itself. And what's inside the mines?"

"Coal," I say, wondering why he'd ask that question.

"Well, yes," he replies. "But not just coal. There are diamonds and gems in the mines too."

It's true. Sometimes the miners find a stash of riches somewhere. "That sounds pretty," I say. We finish eating in silence and then go to the dressing rooms.

"Now normally, I wouldn't put you in this dress so early, but I have to today because it takes a long time to get into."

He's right. At first I wonder why, since he just slips on the dress, but then I realize he has a lot of accessories and other things to put on as well.

The dress is stunning. It is jet black, with small sparkles everywhere, so that when I'm caught in the light, I glow. "Turn around," says Cinna. I do. When I spin, The dress billows up to above my knees and the underside of it sparkles brightly. "You need to turn to both sides of the crowd, right? With even the slightest movement, the dress will go up and show the underside. That way you don't have to move much."

A couple hours later, I am in my full costume. Around my neck is an orange teardrop necklace with a gold chain. I also have a silver tiara. My usual straight reddish brown hair is in curls, surrounding my face and adding to the impression that I am glowing.

"Good luck," says Cinna as I get on the chariot.

"Thank you," I answer. I look over at Gale. He is in a black shirt and pants with small sparkles here and there. I know he will look like he is glowing from the audience.

"Ready?" he whispers.

I nod and take his hand. Then we enter the square.

**A/N: Sorry it's so short. The updates are really going to slow down. I will try to have one up every other week. I just got a new English teacher this year and he gives a lot of writing assignments, like one per week so I won't really be updating much. Also I get a LOT of literature homework. And I suck at math which is Algebra 1 Honors this year (high school class in 8****th**** grade) so it's gonna be really hard and I'm gonna have to study a lot. Anyways, if I get an easy math chapter (highly unlikely) I will update instead of studying. I hope you liked the chapter even though its only like 700 words. Please review! If I have no tests I will update next Tuesday. If I do then the following weekend.**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: peetalover240: I know. I was going to put Prim in, but I love her too much! She is seriously one of my favorite characters. I was also going to put in Thresh's sister, but then I realized that Rue's best friend would be a little more painful for Katniss and would kind of make her want to rebel a little more than putting Thresh's sister in would. And about the POV switches: Really? I don't really read my own stories much so I can't really tell, but I'm so happy it makes sense! I'm doing my best, but I didn't really know until now.**

**Okay guys, I tried to kind of think outside the box a little for this chapter. I don't know how I did with the costumes because I'm not really that creative when it comes down to clothes. I hope you like it anyways though!**

Chapter Seven

Gale's POV:

_Thank God that's over_ I think as Portia ushers me onto the chariot. Katniss was right. Prepping sucks. I'm in Peeta's suit from last year, but with a few modifications. There are small clear trinkets all over the suit that won't be visible from the audience, but will give the impression that I'm glowing.

Madge looks absolutely stunning in her black dress. Her hair, which before was limp and dull, is now golden blond in color, falling in ringlets down her back. My heart skips a beat when her eyes meet mine. She looks almost as beautiful as Katniss did last year. Almost. I grin. "You look great," I say.

She smiles and looks down, examining her feet. "Thanks. So do you."

I take her hand as we roll out into the square. The crowd goes silent in awe of us. I look up onto the screen to see myself next to Madge, except it's not really us. I look like someone completely different. I am literally glowing, but I'm nothing compared to Madge. Instead of giving off white light, her light is a warm orange color, like a soft flame. Her long hair streams behind her. I almost laugh out loud. I never really noticed how truly beautiful she is until now. It doesn't matter anyway. At least one of us is going to die. Probably both of us.

I reluctantly pull my eyes away from the screen and begin to wave. The crowd goes wild. They love us.

Mrs. Undersee's POV:

My heart swells with pride when I see my daughter, looking majestic, next to Gale on television. Tears come to my eyes.

Prim sits next to me in my bed, visiting as she swore she would. "I wish I looked like her," she whispers.

I smile and hug her. "No you don't," I answer. "Be proud of who you are. You're beautiful too."

She grins. "Look at Gale!" she squeals as the camera focuses on him. "He's so handsome!"

"He sure is," I agree.

"And look at the way he's looking at her. They could totally pull off the star-crossed lovers thing if Katniss and Peeta hadn't last year." She pauses for a moment, then continues. "And if Gale could actually admit he likes her." She giggles.

I nod, remembering how Madge had a huge crush on him back in the seventh grade. She used to open the door and greet him every day when he and Katniss came by with strawberries. She always came in, beaming, holding the strawberries in her hands, and talking about how amazing he looked.

"I miss them," she whispers.

"I know. I do, too."

Madge's POV:

Gale's hand loosens a bit when we come to a stop, but we remain connected. I suppress a laugh, thinking about how in seventh grade, I would have fainted when he took my hand, and now it hardly matters, even though I still think he's pretty cute.

My mind wanders during President Snow's speech. I think about my mother back home and wonder how she's doing. I hope I've made her proud tonight.

Katniss's POV:

Thanks to President Snow, Peeta and I get a lovely twin bed all to ourselves. Great. And there's no door to the bathroom either. Just an empty space where it should be, like somebody pried it off its hinges. Don't you just love what our President does for us?

"I'll go share with Haymitch if you want," Peeta offers.

"He won't even let you in there," I snort. "And I wouldn't make you do that. You'd be scarred for life. And he sleeps with a knife, remember?"

In the end, we decide to just use the bed. At least Snow decided to give us enough space to sleep. I'll get up early and use Madge's shower.

"At least it's only for a few days," says Peeta, ever the optimist. But even he is speechless when the lights dim and romantic music starts to play.

"Damn you, Snow!" I mutter. I spend the next hour with a pillow over my head.

When the hour is up I say, "How come that lasted so long? I don't think it takes that long to, you know—"

"I don't know. Ask the President."

"Whatever. I'm going to bed." I'm vaguely aware of Peeta laying down beside me, but a moment later I am asleep."

Peeta's POV:

I am woken up by Katniss kicking me in the shin. I look at her face and immediately register that she is having a nightmare. I shake her gently. After a few minutes she wakes up and bursts into tears. "They were at the bloodbath," she sobs. "And everyone turned into mutts except Gale and Madge. It was like…Cato…except—"

"Except no one was there to make it faster?"

She nods. I've never seen her like this before. It's kind of scary. She's always so tough and in control. She begins to sob into my shirt. I stroke her hair. "It's okay. It was just a dream." I don't say that part of it already came true.

She finally stops crying, but she's still shaking violently. "Hey, it's okay. Haymitch said they'd come out." And then, very slowly, I lean down and press my lips to hers. Not for a camera, not for Panem, but for me. After a few seconds, she kisses me back. When we finally break apart she looks up at me in wonder.

"Good night, Katniss," I whisper.

"Good night, Peeta," she says. And neither one of us has nightmares for the rest of the night.

**A/N: Tell me what you guys think about the romance at the end! I tried my best, but I'm only in eighth grade. I honestly have no experience with romance AT ALL and I really don't want any. Yet. I tried for you guys though, because seriously, the reason I read this book was because of the star-crossed lovers part in the summary, and I know that's the reason a whole bunch of girls read the books. I would have loved them without the romantic part, but it does make the books so much better. Please review! This was seriously the hardest chapter for me to write so I'll really appreciate any reviews, even if they are only one word. It shows me that you guys actually appreciate my story enough to actually take the time to post something. So thank you to all the people who do review. I'll try to update again Friday after school, and then maybe Saturday and Sunday, because I'm really excited for the games to start. I already have chapter eight done, but I don't want to post it in case I have too much homework to write chapter nine.**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: I know. This is seriously a really short chapter. Sorry. I PROMISE I will update either tomorrow or Monday. Either way, You will get another three chapters this weekend since this is the one I was supposed to post yesterday.**

**kat-rue: Thanks! Wow! You live in England? That's so cool. I want to go there so bad! My dad says that he might take me to London within the next few years. I really hope so, because I've never been to Europe before, and it's probably really nice there. Eighth grade is thirteen by the way.**

**peetalover240: Thank you so much! You have no idea how hard that part was to write. I'm so glad you liked it.**

Chapter Eight

Madge's POV:

I am up early. Today is the first day of training. Gale and I head down to the training center quickly.

"What should we do first?" he asks as soon as Atala is finished speaking.

"Show me how to make a snare," I suggest. "That way if we get separated during the Games I have food. Afterwards, we can find allies. I'm pretty observant, so I can see who would be a good ally."

About an hour later, I have managed to produce a snare that would catch a pretty decent rabbit. "Okay," I say. "We need allies.

"Not the Careers. Katniss killed all of them except Clove."

"And the boy from four."

"Yeah. He died in the bloodbath."

I watch the Careers for a moment. Sparkle throws spears straight through the center of the dummies. She throws them with such force that half of it sticks out the other end.

Meanwhile, Royce is a little bit farther away with a mace. He swings it around, taking off the heads of seven dummies. I wince.

Clove's sister, Amethyst, throws an ax and it wedges itself in the neck of a dummy. Another one buries itself in a dummy's head. She seems scary.

Then I see Cato's icy blue eyes staring right through me. A shiver runs down my spine. Having his twin in the Games is not going to be good. He'll be after us from the very beginning. I can tell already that Carrick is the most dangerous tribute. He is even more skilled with knives than Clove was. He can throw a knife from right in front of a wall and hit a dummy where its heart should be on the other side of the room.

"We need to get his knives," I whisper. "If he gets them, we're all dead on the first day."

"Don't worry. I'm faster than he is. I can get to them first."

"Good." I suddenly remember Electra and Titan. Katniss told us to watch them in training to see if they would be good allies. So far, Electra looks pretty skilled with swords. Titan is sticking to the survival skills. "We can ally with Three if we run in to them in the arena."

Gale nods. "That's probably a good idea."

Brooke walks up to us. "Hi," she says. "I'm Brooke. District Four. I'm fifteen. I'm really skilled with tridents. Finnick said you guys would make good allies."

I nod. "You're from a Career district. Should we be worried?"

"I promise. I won't do anything to you guys. My brother was killed by that Cato kid. I don't want to be with the Careers."

"Okay. You're in," I say, before Gale can decline.

He glares at me.

"We need someone who can swim," I whisper.

He nods. "But if she betrays us, I kill her."

"Fair enough. But she won't. I can tell when someone's lying, and she's not."

I turn my attention to Amelia from District Six. She looks weak and frail. She is only thirteen. "We should ally with Amelia if we run into her in the arena. She looks like she's pretty smart," I tell Gale and Brooke.

"Oh, yeah," says Gale. "Same with Three. Madge and I were talking about that just before you allied with us."

"Cool. Three is probably a smart choice."

"We're already allied with Eleven," I say.

"That's a lot of people to look out for," says Brooke.

"I know. Did Finnick tell you?" I ask. I don't say it out loud, because Gale is here.

"Yes," she replies. I know about it."

"About what?" asks Gale.

"Oh," she says quickly. "Just how strong Jasmine and Tillman really are."

"Oh," says Gale. "They're both really fast. And they can climb trees. They're quiet too."

"I know," Brooke replies. "By the way, while we're talking about allies, I think we should talk to Willow and Carver from Seven. They seem decent. And Finnick and Johanna are really good friends."

"Awesome," I say. Inside, I'm worried though, because our circle of allies is getting a little bit too big. There are already seven of us, and three potential allies. We'll deal with it in the arena.

In the end, we are allies with the two from seven, as well as Velvet and Carlisle from Eight, Zia from Nine, and Shelby from Ten. That gives us eleven. I know a few of us will die on the first day, but Katniss said that these tributes are all important to the rebellion. She told us to keep as many of us as we can safe, and I trust her.

Gale, Brooke, Shelby, and I decide to split up our group. Brooke and Shelby will lead one group, and Gale and I will lead another. Gale and my group consists of Jasmine, Tillman, Zia, and Velvet. Shelby and Brooke will take Willow, Carver, and Carlisle.

At the beginning of the Games, we will take what we can from the Cornucopia, then run towards the woods. I know there will be woods because of Plutarch Heavensbee. That is all he would say about the arena though. When our group is safely in the woods, we will call out Rue's whistle to signal Brooke and Shelby, who should also be in the woods. From there, we will find a place to rest.

**A/N: Sorry about the ending. This is supposed to switch into Katniss's POV here, but I haven't written that part yet, and I don't really have time. I tried to figure out a better way to end this chapter but I really couldn't so I'm just going to leave it like this because I'm in Miami and my little seven year old cousin is going to be here in about fifteen minutes and I'm super excited because she's really cute and I haven't seen her in about six months.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Woohoo! Longest chapter yet! 1800 words without the A/N! I'm not gonna talk a lot since I don't really have anything to say. I just want to say sorry if you think it's boring, because this is really meeting the other victors and the training scores.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own the Hunger Games. If I did, Finnick, Prim, and Rue would still be alive.**

Chapter Nine

Katniss's POV:

Peeta, Haymitch, and I head down to the ground floor to meet all the other victors as soon as Madge and Gale go down to their first day of training. Apparently it's a tradition to have the newest victor, or in this case victors, meet all the other victors and talk to all of them. After lunch, the new victors tell the story of their Hunger Games, which doesn't make sense, since everyone saw them.

"Okay," says Haymitch in front of the door. "Just because most of the victors want to rebel, doesn't mean you should let your guard down. Some of the Career victors are on the Capitol's side, so don't say anything about the rebellion."

Peeta and I nod.

Inside the room, it is overwhelming. Every living victor of the Hunger Games is in there, laughing and joking. As soon as we walk in, the room goes silent.

Haymitch announces, "Peeta Mellark and Katniss Everdeen, the victors of the seventy-fourth annual Hunger Games!"

They start applauding politely, even though most of them know it's nothing to celebrate.

"It's traditional that the mentor does that," says Haymitch.

Well that makes sense. Haymitch would never do that out of his own free will.

Each district gets into its own group. There's a group for District One, all the way up to Eleven. Twelve doesn't have one, since our only living victors are the three of us.

We walk over to the District One victors. There are a little less than fifty living victors, and seven of them are from District One. Cashmere and Gloss look to be about in their mid twenties. They glare at me, hating me for killing their tributes. We are supposed to shake hands, but they squeeze my hands tight, cutting off my circulation for a few moments. I can see the hatred in their eyes.

The other District One victors are older, so they are a bit nicer. There is also one I recognize from watching her win when I was younger. I think her name was Cherri. She was really brutal during her Games, despite the fact that she was only thirteen. My father was still alive during her victory, but it wasn't that long ago. She isn't that much older than I am.

"Hi," she says. "I'm Cherri."

"Katniss," I say, taking her hand. I remember that she came from the poorer part of her district. Of course, she was still better off than the richest families in Twelve, but it explains why she hasn't been particularly mean to us.

"Sorry about the others. They're just really upset that someone from an outline district killed both of our tributes," she whispers. "They should probably learn to get it through their thick heads that a Career won't always win."

I smile a little.

"They should get used to it. Gale looks like a survivor."

"I know. He's pretty good. It's Carrick I'm worried about."

"So are we. He's been training his whole life. Royce hasn't. And Sparkle isn't the smartest."

I laugh. "I think she might have more air in her head than her sister."

Cherri smiles. "I never really liked her."

I'm surprised at how nice she is. She's nothing like any of the other Careers. I don't even remember her being in the Career pack during her Games. In fact, I think she killed them all. I actually think I like her.

Peeta drags me over to District Two. It's even worse than District One. Now they glare at both of us. Brutus grips my hand. "Twelve is dead," he growls.

I shudder. "You wish," I say, venom in my voice.

Enobaria ignores us completely, which is a good thing, since I remember her Games clearly, even though I was only four. I had nightmares for months. She ripped open the tributes' throats with her teeth to win. It made me sick to think about it. I decide I should probably try to avoid her.

If I had to pick a favorite District Two victor, I would probably choose Lyme. At least she tries to tolerate us, and she isn't downright mean. I still don't like her though.

I breathe a sigh of relief as we move on to District Three. "Glad we're past the Careers?" Peeta whispers.

I nod. Beetee and Wiress are the only living District Three victors. They're really nice, and Haymitch is good friends with both of them. They shake hands with Peeta and me, and we talk for a few minutes about our different homes.

I learn that District Three isn't that much different than Twelve. They are also very poor. Beetee told us all about his job as an engineer back home. He says that everyone has to work, even the elderly, since there aren't many people in the district.

Wiress tells us she tests the electronics to make sure they all work. She doesn't need the money, so she takes it to the black market and distributes it. For once in my life, I feel lucky that I am from District Twelve. District Three is worse off than we are.

District Four is nothing like the other Career districts. Finnick, Annie, and Mags are really nice, but Finnick jokes around a lot. I point out that they don't have many victors for a Career district.

"I don't really like the Careers," says Finnick. "I try to get my tributes to stay away from One and Two as much as possible, even though we are technically a Career district. But in the end, it's their choice. Ever since Annie won, District Four hasn't been doing well in the Games. It's not her, it's just that they keep ignoring my advice to steer clear of the other Careers. They truth is, Districts One and Two are stronger than us, so when they start to turn on each other later in the Games, we die first. When Mags was our age, District Four got a whole bunch of victors, though."

Annie tells Finnick something quietly.

"Oh, yeah," he says. "I wanted to let you guys know that I told Brooke to form an alliance with Madge and Gale. Thanks for reminding me Annie."

"Okay," says Peeta. "Having a good swimmer might come in handy. I'm assuming Caspian decided to stay with the Careers?"

Mags nods.

Most of the victors from Five and Six are like Haymitch before he won. Together, they only have five victors, including the morphlings.

Johanna and Blight from Seven are very different. Johanna is a lot like me, but more irritating, and Blight is really quiet.

I like Cecelia. She is the only victor from District Eight whose name I bother remembering, aside from Woof, who just stays eerily silent the entire time we are talking to the District Eight victors.

By the time we get to Districts Nine and Ten, I'm bored as hell, and when we get to Eleven, I just say hi. Haymitch tells us we can do what we want until lunch.

After lunch, Peeta and I have to relive every single moment of the Hunger Games. It takes about three hours. I almost start crying, more than once. I absolutely hate this.

We stay in the room talking to victors until about five o'clock, then head back upstairs for dinner. I just head up to Madge's room and collapse on the couch. Reliving the Hunger Games made me lose my appetite. I'm exhausted. I take a shower and head back to my room. I collapse into bed, and fall asleep instantly.

Madge's POV:

The next three days of training go by exactly like the first one. On the day of our assessment, Gale and I are there very early. By the time District Three is up, I feel like throwing up. I am so nervous. I have no idea what I'm good at. "Show them how observant you are," Gale whispers. "Use some weapons first, a rope. Make a snare that can trap a human. Then tell them what all the Careers did in training. That will get you a pretty good score. They all know that we would never ally with them."

When it's my turn, I make a snare, just as Gale said. I go as quickly as I can, making the most complex knots I know how to tie. I am finished in five minutes. Now that I have their attention, I announce, "I'm observant. I know Sparkle's weapon of choice is a spear, and Royce's is a mace. Amethyst is very skilled with an ax, and Carrick's weapon is a knife. He will probably get the highest score of all the Careers. And all of you know I have never spoken with any of them. The only way I can know this is from observation."

"Dismissed," someone says. I leave quickly, hoping I did well.

Gale's POV:

When I get in the training room, I do something no one has ever done before, something no one but me would ever dare to do. I take five dummies and line them up in a row. I take some paint from the camoflague section and write **Snow** on one of them. I write the words **Capitol Citizen **on the other four. I take a knife, and throw it as hard as I can. It takes off the heads of every single dummy. I take a bow and arrow and hit three of them in the heart. I throw a spear at another. Then, I tear Snow to shreds with a sword. I drop it on the ground and leave.

After dinner, and after Effie has yelled at me for a good half hour about manners, we all sit down to watch the training scores. Royce and Sparkle each get a ten. Amethyst also gets a ten, but Carrick gets and eleven. Titan gets a seven and Electra gets an eight, the best District Three has done in years. Caspian and Brooke get nines. Kendrick's score is a ten, and Allura's is a six. Amelia is lucky to have gotten a five. Albert only gets a two, and he is among the oldest. Carver's score is a ten, and Willow's is an eight. Carlisle gets a three, and Velvet gets a five. Rye and Zia both get a four. Ten does a better job than usual this year, with Angus getting a score of seven and Shelby receiving a ten. Tillman and Jasmine both get sevens. I hold my breath as my name and face appear on the screen. I hear Claudius Templesmith say, "Gale Hawthorne, with a score of…twelve." Katniss squeals and hugs me, and even Peeta looks pleased.

Madge's POV:

After congratulating Gale, I hear my name being called. I get a ten. I grin. Gale gives me a hug and Katniss says, "I guess saying all that stuff about the Careers worked."

"Yeah, I guess so." Then we all head to bed.

**Okay, tomorrow I'm going to update again. It will be the interviews and on Tuesday if I get a chance to update, the Games will finally start! I'm so excited! The story will be so much better once they start. I've got a pretty decent arena planned out. If I don't update, it's probably because I need to fix it.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Okay, I wrote this quickly since I'm pressed for time today. So here's chapter ten! Hope you guys like it!**

Chapter Ten

Madge's POV:

Effie wakes me up at 6am. "You need to prepare for your interview today. Katniss, Peeta and Haymitch will explain at breakfast. Come on, now. We're on a very tight schedule!" Then she scurries out of the room to wake up Gale.

When everyone is at breakfast, Peeta says, "The interviews begin at eight o'clock. Madge will see Haymitch for strategy at eight this morning, and Gale will see Katniss for practice questions. Then, at ten, you will switch. At noon you have lunch, and at one, Madge will see Effie for presentation, and Gale will see me for any questions. At three you will switch. Dinner is at five, and at six you go to your prep teams."

That's a whole lot to take in. _Haymitch, Katniss, Effie, Peeta. Haymitch, Katniss, Effie, Peeta._ I repeat my schedule over and over again in my head.

"Haymitch says, "Katniss and Peeta, you have an interview at nine thirty tonight. You had Effie last year, so it's just me discussing strategies again. That's while they are with their stylists."

"What about costumes?" Katniss asks.

"You can eat during the last time frame, and Peeta can eat while he's with Madge. During dinner, you two will be getting ready."

"That's complicated."

"It was Snow's idea," Haymitch says. "Of course it is."

After breakfast, I head over to Haymitch. He leads me to a small room with two leather couches. I sit on one, and he sits on the other. "So," says Haymitch. "Any ideas?"

"Not really," I admit.

It doesn't take long for Haymitch to find my angle. I am to be humble. Throughout the hour we have left, we discuss how I will handle certain scenarios.

Katniss asks me what my angle is.

"Humble," I say immediately.

"Good," she says. "Now, I'm going to ask you some questions. Tonight at the interview, pretend you're talking to me. Answer the questions as you do now. All of these questions have been asked in the past. You need to understand how important it is that they like you tonight. This will determine how many sponsors you have. Make sure they remember you."

After lunch, I head to Effie's room. It's torture. She makes me walk around in heels and with books on my head. I practice smiling, waving, and laughing. Who practices laughing? I practice walking so I don't trip on my dress, and twirling. It is the longest two hours of my entire life. "Well, you finally seem presentable," Effie says at the end of our time. "You did a lot better than Katniss, I must say."

I don't know how to respond to this, so I just smile and say, "Thank you."

Peeta is eating when I arrive in his room, just as Haymitch said he would be. "So, Madge, do you have any questions?"

"Not really,"

"How about the Games? Any questions about them?"

"Could you give me some advice? On how to survive? I'm really scared. I have to last at least a week," I say, silently adding, _for the rebellion_.

"Well, I was practically dead the whole time. I would have died if Katniss hadn't found me when she did. I'll tell you how I lasted that long though."

"Okay."

"Well, first, I teamed up with the Careers. "_Do not_, under _any_ circumstances, do that. You saw what happened to me."

I nod.

"You need to get a weapon first. Grab whichever one is closest. It doesn't matter what it is, as long as you have a weapon. My advice is to make one or to find a big rock. That way you can avoid the bloodbath. If you get drawn in, grab the nearest weapon and defend yourself the best you can. Next, find water. Make sure it is safe, though. You'll know if it's safe. If it isn't, we'll send you some iodine. After you find water, you need food. The Gamemakers might poison the animals in there, so you'll need to cook it to make sure it's safe. Do it at twilight, since the smoke's harder to see then. Don't touch a plant unless you are a hundred percent sure that it's safe. Climb a tree to sleep if you are ever separated from your group. Make sure someone is always on watch if you are sleeping on the ground. If someone finds you, climb a tree or use camouflage. If it's a mutt, climb something if it's on the ground. If it flies or can climb, camouflage is a good idea. Make sure you have a weapon to fight it with. It wouldn't be good for anyone if you died. We need you. Don't be stupid. And _never_ let your guard down."

"I'll try to remember all that tomorrow in the arena, Peeta. Thanks."

Cinna dresses me in a gorgeous gray silk gown that fits perfectly. Instead of fire, like Katniss, I look like smoke. There are red and gold flecks on my dress that make me look like I am burning slightly, like a dying fire. I have gray eye shadow and my lips are bright red. My golden hair is tied up in an elaborate braid. I look stunning.

Gale is dressed in a black suit that has flecks just like mine. He looks _amazing_. I shake the thought as we head out onstage to sit down.

Sparkle is in a pale blue, very short dress. Her angle is sexy, like her sister. Carrick is intimidating. Velvet is agreeable. All too soon, Caesar Flickerman is calling my name.

"Good evening, Madge, how are you this evening."

"Wonderful, Cease, how about you?"

"Amazing. Thank you for asking," he answers. "Now, about your training score, how did such a small girl like you get a ten? That's incredible!"

"Well, I can't tell you that! That would ruin the fun! You have to find out yourselves tomorrow."

"Good answer," he chuckles. "Now Madge, I must say, you look amazing tonight."

"Thank you. Cinna is always great. So is my prep team."

"Yes, he is. So, how did you feel at the reaping, knowing there were only three names in the glass ball?"

"I was actually quite nervous, but I learned a lot from Katniss, and I know now that I will come out of there alive. I was actually glad it was me. I didn't want it to be Prim or Delly. Delly was Peeta's best friend when we were younger, and Katniss can't suffer that way. She volunteered so her sister would avoid having to go in there. I was happy that what she did wasn't in vain."

The buzzer rings. "That's all the time we have, folks. Ladies and gentlemen, Miss Madge Undersee!"

The crowd cheers loudly as I walk backstage. Gale's interview is quick. His angle is clearly intimidating.

"That was great, you guys!" Katniss exclaims as soon as the interviews are over. "You'll definitely get sponsors."

And with that thought in mind, I head off to bed, knowing I need to sleep for tomorrow.

**Okay I know this said I would be up yesterday and you'd get two chapters, but we were driving all day. I know I still have to do Katniss and Peeta's interview, which will be in the next chapter, and then I'll start the Games. Yay chapter twelve! I can't wait! The Games will start no later than next Friday. Not Friday of this week, but next week. Please review! It makes me really happy! Have a nice day! I don't know if you guys can see, but I just made an actual smiley face, not the typed one. I don't even know how I did it. Bye!**


	11. Chapter 11

**peetalover240: Thank you! That comment made my day! **

**VanillaTaco: It does! I'm sorry! I wrote those chapters way apart from each other and for the more recent one I actually looked up what she's supposed to look like. She's supposed to be blond, but I made her golden blond for this story because I just think that looks better with the fire and coal part of the district.**

**Guest: I did. It was really sad. But not as sad as Mockingjay! I cried so much through that book! This is just what would happen if the Quarter Quell card were different.**

Chapter Eleven

Katniss's POV:

Cinna has dressed me in a floor length black gown with many layers of material. When I spin, I light up and the entire dress becomes a sea of reds and oranges. When I stop, the dress is black once more. My makeup is neutral, and Venia has woven strands of black into my hair.

Exactly fifteen minutes after Gale's interview, Caesar announces Peeta and me. My heart beats wildly in my chest. I grab Peeta's hand for support.

"Katniss, Peeta!" Caesar exclaims. "It's been a while since our last interview."

"It has," says Peeta.

"Now, the Capitol has voted on the wedding dresses, and this is the winner." He shows it on a projector screen.

"It's lovely!" I lie. It's absolutely hideous. The sleeves go all the way down to the ground. The veil is just as long, there has to be at least ten pounds worth of pearls on that thing. The shoes have heels that are at least a foot high.

"It sure is," says Caesar. "Now Katniss, we've all heard Peeta's story, but we want to know yours. How did you fall in love with Peeta Mellark?"

_Well, crap!_ I think. _Peeta can't answer this one! And it's hard!_ I try to think of a way to answer it without giving away that it was all an act. Or was it? I can't answer Caesar when I don't know myself. I don't even know if I love him! I try to answer as honestly as possible. I decide to tell the Capitol about the bread. I'll stall. "It all started in the seventh grade," I begin. "My father had just died. He was in a mine when it exploded. I had already signed up for tesserae and the time for food was close, but we were starving. I sat down by the bakery one day, after searching for food, wanting to rest. I heard shouting inside. Peeta's mother was beating him because he burned the bread. She told him to feed it to the pigs. Peeta looked at me as he tossed it in their direction. Then he looked inside to make sure his mother was gone and tossed me the bread. He saved my life, and my mom and Prim's.

"I sort of kept track of the boy with the bread. When Haymitch asked about his strengths, I knew them better than he did. I didn't want him to die in the Games, but I knew I'd have to kill him. I owed him. He saved my life, and I'd never thanked him. Now I never would.

"The night of the interview, I was mad at Peeta. I thought his strategy was to pretend to be in love with me to gain sponsors and then kill me. I didn't trust him until he saved my life. Again.

"When I found him and took him to the cave, I pretended to love Peeta to get him food. But then, when we kissed, I realized that Peeta did love me. And I was starting to love him, too.

"At our interview, I was still confused. I'd been trying to work out my feelings the whole time, but it was exhausting. I had no clue if I loved him or not. I did, I just didn't know it. I'd never been in love before, so I didn't know how it felt. And I'm just realizing all of this now. I started loving him back in the cave, but I didn't know until now." As I conclude, I realize that every word I just said is true. Part of me is disgusted that I just shared all of that with the Capitol and all of Panem, but part of me is elated that I finally figured out my feelings toward Peeta. I'm scared too, because now Snow just has one more person he can hurt to get to me.

"And how does it feel, Katniss, now that you know?" asks Caesar.

"Amazing," I say. And then I kiss Peeta. Now that I know I love him, I never want this moment to end. It's perfect, but Peeta pulls away eventually because we have to finish our interview.

"Peeta, now that you know all of that, how do you feel?" asks Caesar.

"Well, I knew about most of this already, but I'm just happy she made up her mind."

"Katniss, why did you agree to marry Peeta if you didn't love him then?"

"I don't know. To protect him, I guess. If I'd said no, the Capitol would have thought the thing with the berries was an act of defiance, but it wasn't. I just wanted to keep him alive, like he did for me. I wanted everyone to stop believing the rumors of the uprisings. I knew that if I'd said no, everyone would rebel and Peeta and I would be executed."

"So it was an act of love, in a way," says Caesar.

"Yes."

When Peeta and I get back to our floor after the interview, he asks, "Was it true?"

I nod. "I'm tired of lying to the Capitol. It's exhausting. From now on, everyone gets the truth from me."

"No more lies?" he asks.

"No more lies." Then I reach up and kiss him. I can feel his smile against my lips.

When we get to our room, I collapse into bed, exhausted. Tomorrow the Games begin. Despite my exhaustion, I find it difficult to fall asleep. The only thing that convinces me to sleep is the fact that Gale and Madge are going to need me tomorrow. Haymitch is going to be drunk the whole time because of the Quarter Quell. Since he won the 50th Games, he's going to be getting a lot of attention this year. With that thought in mind, I drift off into an uneasy sleep.

**I'm so happy! X Factor starts tomorrow! The American one. Not the British one. At least I think the other one is British…. And Glee starts on Thursday! Yay! It's also my dad's birthday, so we get to eat somewhere fancy! I'm tired though because I actually paid attention in EVERY SINGLE CLASS today, which is exhausting because my Science, Math, and English teachers are BORING! My science teacher is seventy something. That's why. And PE made me more tired because we played marshmallow dodgeball, which is basically dodgeball with marshmallows instead of balls. It was so fun! That had absolutely nothing to do with this story whatsoever! Sorry! Anyways, please review! The Games start in the next chapter! I'm going to shut up now before this note gets longer than the chapter. See you Friday!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Okay, this chapter is shorter than I had hoped, but I had a lot going on. Technically, I was watching X Factor auditions, because they're usually pretty funny, but oh well. And Glee started yesterday! Yippee! I'm gonna watch it as soon as this chapter is up!**

**peetalover240: Thank you so much! It is fun, but I was sore after. The mile sucks. I suck at running. I get to do the mile next month or in the beginning of November, maybe. **

**Cookie05: Thanks! Wow. Waiting until January would suck. A few months would drive me insane. I went insane when the last Maximum Ride came out in Britain first. It's an American book too! And when I googled it it told me how it ended. I'm just warning you, don't Google the show. There will be spoilers EVERYWHERE! And you'll want to read them so badly.**

**LittleRedDevilKa: Thank you! I already have up to chapter 15 written. I'll have the next chapter as soon as possible.**

Chapter Twelve

Madge's POV:

When Effie bangs on my door, I want to crawl back under the covers of my safe, warm bed and go back to sleep instead of get up to face the inevitable, my death. Despite the rebellion, I'm positive I'm going to die in some horrible twisted way. I can't survive a week in an arena filled with twenty-three people trying to kill me! Actually, there's twenty-two. Gale wouldn't leave me to die. The thought comforts me a little, but does absolutely nothing to calm my nerves.

I crawl out of bed and get in the shower. I'm going to be covered in dirt and grime for a week. It's pointless, but this might be the last shower of my life, so I decide to enjoy it.

At breakfast, I eat and drink as much as possible without making myself too full to run quickly. Katniss takes me aside and says, "This might take more than a week. There's been a delay. We'll send you something to let you know when."

I begin to panic inside, but I try to look calm. I nod.

"It's okay. You'll be fine," says Katniss, sensing my unease. She pulls something out of her pocket. It's the locket from my mother. She fastens it around my neck. "Your token," she says.

"Thank you," I whisper. She gives me a hug and tells me to go see Cinna so he can get me dressed.

Cinna gives me an outfit similar to last year's. The only difference is the shoes. They've been designed for storms, so we can walk in the mud without sinking.

"This means there's going to be a part of the arena that is open. There will be a place that is able to get muddy. It's not all woods, because the trees keep out most of the rain," Cinna states.

I head out into the hallway, where Peeta, Katniss, and Haymitch are waiting for me.

"Where's Gale?" I ask.

"On the hovercraft already," Haymitch responds.

Katniss approaches me. "Remember, you need supplies from the Cornucopia. You have a small chance of survival without supplies, even in a big alliance. Don't head for the mouth. Get whatever is closest to you and run. It's risky, but you'll just die later on without supplies. Trust me."

"Okay." I nod firmly, even though I'm dying inside.

Peeta comes up to me next and says, "Find water. That's the most important thing. If you don't get iodine, the water's safe. After you find water, find food. It's important that you never run out. And don't keep food for more than three days if it's an animal."

"Thanks," I say, giving him a hug.

Haymitch simply says, "Stay alive at all costs. Kill or be killed. It's that simple." Then he walks away.

Cinna leads me to the hovercraft that will take me to my life or death. "I'll see you soon, okay?" he says.

"Okay."

On the hovercraft, a Capitol lady inserts a tracker into my arm. Gale is sitting across from me and sees me wince. He gives me a reassuring smile.

When I get to the Launch room, Cinna is waiting for me. "Good luck" he says. "See you in a week."

I smile. "Thanks." He kisses my forehead. I step into my tube as the doors seal shut. My heart beats wildly in my chest. I ascend slowly in the darkness. A few seconds later, I squint at a blinding light, trying to get my bearings. I slowly begin to make out my surroundings.

I am standing in a meadow. It is beautiful, with an array of colors that compliment each other perfectly. The grass is bright green. The pinks, purples, oranges, and other colors make me feel like I'm living in a utopia. I'm guessing that that's the point.

The arena is split into four perfect squares. One is a mountainside that I will avoid because of possible avalanches. Another square is a rocky plain/desert. It has sand and cactuses, but the land is flat and dotted with rocks. It also has patches of grass and water sources, as well as occasional holes. It looks fishy. Yet another square has a forest, where I will be headed in a moment. The final square is another, prettier meadow, with taller grass.

I hear Claudius Templesmith's voice. "Ladies and gentlemen, let the seventy-fifth annual Hunger Games begin! The countdown starts.

_60…59…58…_

I spot the Cornucopia. I see an array of weapons right in the middle. _Should I go for them?_ Despite Katniss's advice, I find myself asking the question.

_ 54…53…52…_

_ No. I won't._ There is a brown backpack about fifty yards away from me. I'll settle for that.

_45…44…43…_

I search frantically for a weapon close by._ There! _A bow and arrow right in the mouth of the Cornucopia. I know everyone told me not to, but it's my best weapon. I need it. Gale can use it too. I angle myself toward the bow.

_36…35…34…_

I'm terrified. I hope I make it to the bow before everyone else.

_30…29…28…_

Thirty seconds left before my life is in danger. Thirty seconds and I could be dead.

_18…17…16…_

I take a deep breath, my last for a long time.

_ 12…11…10…_

Ten seconds. I keep my eyes on the bow.

_6…5…4…_

I prepare to run.

_3…2…1…_

I jump off my plate and take off running like there's no tomorrow toward the Cornucopia. Who knows? Maybe there isn't.

**Yes I know, there was no bloodbath, but it kind of fit with the next chapter better. I'll update tomorrow unless I'm too sore from dance class. That's my school elective and we have an hour and fifteen minutes because we also use our recess time. The class is fun, but it's not too fun when you can't move the next day. Last week, my arms, legs, back, and stomach were sore. My back already kind of hurts. Ugh. I'll probably hurt until Monday. We get to vote for student council on Monday too. I have no clue who I'll vote for. Oh well. There are a lot of people running. I'm going to fall asleep during the speeches. And Niall from One Direction's birthday was a national holiday at school. Actually, international because he's not even American. People brought in cupcakes. Oh, and I forgot on Tuesday to put a 9/11 thing on. I remembered right after I posted. Anyways, I'll say it now. For anyone who was affected in any way by the disaster, you and your family are in my prayers and in those of my whole school. One of my best friends actually witnessed it because she lived in New York in an apartment near the Twin Towers. She was two and she still remembers. It's probably really sad for that to happen when you're two. I would still have nightmares if I were her. Anyways, please review, and happy Friday!**


	13. Chapter 13

**peetalover240: In the first quarter we do conditioning, which really hurts, the second quarter is ballet, the third is jazz, and the fourth we have guests come in to teach us dances. I kind of like One Direction, but I'm not obsessed with them. I'm not in love with them or anything. But to be fair, those cupcakes were really good.**

**Cookie05: My literature teacher is obsessed with Glee. It's really funny. If you can picture a very strict African American who is kind of heavy and about sixty who is obsessed with Glee, you have her. It's creepy. But she's my favorite teacher. She is SO funny.**

Chapter Thirteen

Madge's POV:

Within seconds, the backpack is mine and I'm streaking towards the bow and arrows. I get there first, since I'm faster than most of the tributes. Next to it is some sort of medicine. I pick it up.

As I sprint towards the woods, A knife whizzes misses my right ear by about half an inch. It lodges in a nearby tree. I stop to take it. I think about putting it in my backpack, but I decide that it's better to carry it because I have a better chance of winning in hand to hand combat if someone attacks me. I run for another twenty minutes, and then climb a tree.

I open my backpack. I have a pair of binoculars and night vision goggles. Good. I also have a rope and a sleeping bag. I also find a canteen, some dried food, and a dagger.

Gale's POV:

After grabbing what I can from the Cornucopia, I run toward the woods. After a while, I spot Madge perched up in a tree. I climb the tree next to hers. "What did you find?" I ask.

She looks up, startled. Realizing who I am, she sighs in relief. "Gale!" she gasps. "It's you."

"Yeah."

"You scared me."

"I figured." I grin.

"Anyways, I have a sleeping bag, rope, canteen, bow and arrows, a knife, some dried food, binoculars, night vision goggles, a dagger, and some sort of medicine."

"Wow. You got a lot," I say, impressed.

"Yeah. I guess I just got lucky. What did you get?"

"Let's see," I say, pausing to open my backpack.

"There's a compass, a few ropes, a knife food, matches, and a really little shovel. That's it."

"The shovel and compass were really lucky. The compass can tell us how far away we are from the Cornucopia, and we can dig pitfalls for animals with the shovel."

Jasmine and Tillman burst through the trees. Jasmine looks up, hearing our voices. "Zia's dead," she says emotionlessly. Royce and Carrick from One and Two attacked her. She killed Royce though. She was pretty strong."

I allow myself to be sad for a moment. "Wish she'd gotten Carrick instead," I mutter. "Would've saved us a lot of trouble."

Madge seems to remember something. "What about Velvet? Is she okay?"

As soon as she says this, she walks into sight. "You guys should get in a tree," she says to Jasmine and Tillman. "Someone could get you."

She proceeds to settle into my tree on the branch below me. Jasmine and Tillman climb up with Madge.

"What supplies did you get?" asks Madge.

"I just got a spear," says Velvet.

"Good. We need some long distance weapons. All we have is a bow and arrows."

"I got a sleeping bag, slingshots, a knife, food, and a canteen," Jasmine says.

Tillman says, "Canteen, sleeping bag, lighter, rope, knife, rations, and— whoa."

"What is it?" I ask.

He silently holds up a small flask filled with a clear liquid. "Back home we use this all the time. If you soak something poisonous in water and add a drop of this, the poison will be sucked right out of it."

"Sweet!" I say. "How do you guys get it in District Eleven?"

"Our industry is agriculture. The Capitol gives it to us so that we can take the poison out of nightlock and stuff so we can send it to them.

"Why do they need nightlock?"

"It's for a special type of jelly. I've heard it's really good."

We hear Rue's whistle. Jasmine whistles back. "They're ready," Madge says, taking out her binoculars. "They're about a mile away." She jumps out of the tree gracefully, followed by the younger kids. I'm down last.

I keep track of the direction we are going so that we can get back to the Cornucopia easily.

We meet Brooke, Shelby, and the others after half a mile. Shelby kneels down in front of Velvet, putting a hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry, but Carlisle's dead."

She nods stiffly, trying to be strong for her District, but I can see a tear roll down her cheek. Madge gives her a comforting hug.

"We should go through our stuff before the bloodbath's over and the Careers start searching for tributes," says Brooke.

Shelby grins slyly. "I got Carrick's knives," she says with a glint in her eyes. "At least, I got the knives in the mouth of the Cornucopia. There are still all the crappy ones. These are the best quality. He'll be pissed. But he doesn't have a clue who took them. He was fighting someone else when I took them."

"Great job!" I say. "He's the strongest Career, and we got his weapon."

"I also got a sleeping bag and some dried food. And guess what was in the mouth of the Cornucopia?"

"What?" we all ask.

She holds up an entire liter of water in response.

"Oh my gosh!" Madge exclaims. "Great find! But don't drink any yet. We need to save it in case we can't find water later."

Brooke goes next. "I got my trident. That means Caspian doesn't have one, since there was only one."

"So now two Careers don't have their weapon," says Shelby. "Awesome!"

"I got a backpack too. Sleeping bag, knife, food, and canteen. That's all.

Willow says, "All I got was a rope. Carrick kept throwing knives at me."

Carver acts a lot like Thresh from last year. "I got knives and spears. In my backpack I have food, rope, a sleeping bag, matches and a canteen. Then the cannon fires.

**This chapter was actually a lot longer, but I don't have time to type up the rest of it. I'll try this weekend. Reviews are appreciated! And if you ever don't know what to read, check out my favorites. Some of the stories are REALLY funny. A few are for Maximum Ride though. Also, this story will have a sequel. I'm hoping to have this story done by New Years. See you by next Tuesday!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Okay guys, I'm really sorry I didn't update on Tuesday, but this chapter is ten pages long, so it kind of makes up for it.**

**peetalover240: Thanks! I love cupcakes too. They are amazing!**

**Cookie05: Me either. My teacher kind of makes me think Glee is creepy because she loves it so much.**

**livingwithobsessions: Then you know how creepy she is. She is obsessed with Glee on one hand, and on the other hand, she is SCARY! She is so strict! You will NEVER find a teacher that is more phsyco than she is.**

**IRISHDANCER101: Thank you so much!**

**There is some swearing at the end of the chapter, just to let you guys know!**

Chapter Fourteen

Gale's POV:

I count seven. Only seven people dead. "That's it?!" I exclaim a little too loudly. "Usually there are at least nine!"

"I guess the tributes are strong this year," Madge says.

After the cannons, we walk for about three hours. Judging by the sun's position, it's around seven. Madge climbs a tree and takes her binoculars. "There's a stream about two miles east. It's about a mile away from where the woods become the plain. It's getting dark so we should stop for tonight. We should pass around Shelby's water. We shouldn't eat because it will make us thirstier."

We each take three sips of water. Then we lay out the sleeping bags.

"There are only six," I say. "There are nine of us."

Shelby says, "Madge can share with Jasmine, I'll share with Velvet, and Brooke will share with Willow."

We crawl into our sleeping bags as the anthem begins. The first face in the sky is Royce from District One. Next is the little girl from Six, Amelia, followed by her District partner, Albert. That means that all the tributes from two, three four and five survived. Carlisle, Velvet's partner, is next. I hear her crying a few feet away from me. Both Zia and Rye from Nine are next. Finally, Angus from Ten is shown. "Seventeen left," I whisper.

Madge's POV:

I have first watch. Since there are so many of us, the watches are only an hour and fifteen minutes each, and we still get nine hours of sleep. I stare into the darkness, thinking about my mother. I hope she's okay.

Suddenly, I hear a rustle in the bushes. I tense, bow and arrow at the ready, holding my breath. A rabbit hops out of the bushes. I breathe a sigh of relief, lowering my bow. The rest of my watch is uneventful.

When my time is up, I wake Jasmine, sleeping peacefully beside me. "Your turn," I whisper. I'm asleep in less than a second.

I'm the first one up. Brooke is still on watch. "We should start moving," I say. "I'm pretty hungry."

Brooke nods, and we wake everyone up.

We walk in silence to the stream I spotted yesterday. We get there around noon. No one gets iodine, so we assume it's safe. We all fill our canteens. There are five, plus the gallon Shelby has. We all drink our fill. Then we decide to split into hunting groups. We're all hungry, since none of us have eaten since the Games started. We're saving our rations for when it rains. Velvet and Shelby go search the plains for food. Jasmine and Tillman go look for berries. Brooke stays by the stream to fish and guard our supplies. Carver goes to hunt, while Gale and I set snares. Each of us brings a weapon with us.

Gale and I head into the woods to set snares. "How's your mom?" he asks suddenly.

"She has one of her headaches again. It's probably been worse since I've been reaped," I say. "I really hope I win. Then I could take her to the Capitol and fix her. Why do you ask?"

"I don't know," he says slowly. "Too quiet, I guess."

"Oh," I say. Then I add, "Tell me about your family."

"You already know them," he says.

"I know who they are, but I don't know _them_," I say. I really do want to know more about his family. They seem nice, and now I might die without ever getting to know them.

"Well," he begins. "Rory's thirteen. He's the reason I have to win. He can't support the family when he's that young. I promised my dad I'd always protect him and Vick and the baby. And I'm going to."

"I wish I had a little brother or sister."

"Anyways, Rory tells me everything. I'm the only person he totally trusts, just like my dad was the only person I ever really trusted. I don't want Rory to lose that. He tells me everything."

"What kind of things does he tell you?"

"Well, they're usually secrets. He's had a crush on this girl since the fourth grade. He talks about her all the time."

That's sweet," I say. "What about Vick?"

"Vick is ten. He always used to say he wanted to be like me. You know, handsome and strong," he says, grinning.

"You wish!" I laugh, hitting his arm slightly.

"He really does look up to me, though. He can't see me die. He's too young. He's the helpful one, the one that never gives up. But if he sees me die, that might change."

"If that happens, I'll take care of him. So will Katniss. You know that."

"I know. But I still want to be there for him."

"And you will be. I promise."

"Thank you," he says. "Okay, Posy's the baby of the family. She's only four, and she's really sweet. Sees the good in everyone. Her favorite color's bright pink. She's probably really excited I'm talking about her on live television right now." He waves into the woods. "Hi Posy!" he says.

I smile. "I like hearing about your family. You seem like a different person when you talk about them."

"Maybe I am," he says, his eyes filled with sadness. Then we hear a cannon.

Katniss's POV:

Peeta wakes me up from a nice, long nap to tell me that Kendrick, the boy from District Five, just died.

"How?" I ask incredulously. "Wasn't he really strong?"

"Yeah. He was in the mountains," Peeta says. "The Careers ganged up on him. He really messed up Carrick's right arm, but that made Amethyst really mad, and she hit him right in the heart with her knife. There were just too many of them."

"They're dangerous," I whisper.

"I know." He speaks again, more optimistic. "We have about thirty people wanting to be Gale and Madge's sponsors. Gale was telling her about his family earlier. It really helped. You can sign them while I watch for danger."

Haymitch has been sleeping on the couch this whole time. He hasn't done anything since the Games started. I make my way over to the computer and begin signing sponsors.

About an hour later, an Avox comes in to bring us lunch. I hastily grab a bowl of tomato soup. After Peeta and I finish, saving some for Haymitch, another Avox brings in some kind of pasta with chicken. It has white sauce on it. Effie tells me it's called alfredo. It's delicious. Finally, we get some kind of tropical fruit called a mango for dessert. It's juicy and sweet. The best part of mentoring is that every meal consists of something I've never heard of before. Peeta and I constantly get food that we've never seen, not even at the banquet at President Snow's mansion after we won the Games.

After lunch, Peeta adjusts the large screen so that it's broken up into eight smaller screens. One shows Gale and Madge, and the others are on their allies and the Careers. Jasmine and Tillman find some cherries on one screen, while Brooke looks for fish on another. Carver takes down two rabbits and a squirrel. Velvet and Shelby kill an animal that looks like a very small cow. Shelby says that they have them everywhere in District Ten, and that they're delicious. The Careers discuss their plan of action. Carrick says, "Okay, there are fifteen tributes left. Who are they?"

"Well, there are the four of us," says Sparkle.

"Duh," Amethyst says. "That girl from Five, Allura, I think. And the baby from Seven, Willow."

Caspian says, "Brooke. She should've been a Career, but she ran off with Twelve. And both of them are alive, too."

"The kids from Eleven," says Sparkle. "And Titan, the boy from Three."

"No, he's dead," says Caspian. "He was wandering around here during my watch last night, so I killed him."

"There's also the little girl from eight, Carver from Seven, and the girl from Ten," says Carrick.

"That's fourteen," says Sparkle. I'm surprised she actually knew how to do the math.

"Which one are we missing?" asks Carrick.

"Oh, I know!" Amethyst exclaims. "The girl from Three!"

"Right," says Caspian.

"Okay," Carrick says. "We have to pick them off. Eleven's agriculture. They'll be in the woods. So will Seven. Lumber.

"So we know where eight tributes are," says Sparkle. Well, at least she's smarter than her sister.

"Where would Three be?" Amethyst wonders. They're technology."

"Anywhere," Carrick says. Same with Five. They're power."

"How about Twelve?" asks Sparkle. "That bitch killed my sister last year. They're dead."

I freeze in horror. I knew this would happen.

"No," Carrick growls. "Twelve is mine. I'll make sure to make their deaths slow and painful." He grins. "Just like my brother's."

**A/N: So do I get a review for the longest chapter? I have a question for you guys. Do you want some more chapters where you can see what the Careers are up to or do you just want it to stick to Katniss watching her tributes and having me write from Gale and Madge's POV? I might slow down the updates a little until Thanksgiving because I have to shadow a high school and go to open houses and visit another high school for a field trip and take two entrance exams. I'll still try to update every Tuesday, but I only have two schools to look at and it's still pretty overwhelming. I also really need to keep my math grade at least at a 95 or I have to retake the same class next year instead of moving on. Sucks to be smart. So if I go a while without updating, I haven't given up on this story, I'm just really busy.**


	15. Chapter 15

**It's a short chapter, but it was all I had time for. Sorry it took so long for me to update. I've been really busy. Thanks for the reviews! Some of you wanted me to keep the Careers and some didn't. I decided that I'll keep the Careers but I won't give anything away. **

Chapter Fifteen

Katniss's POV:

I watch in horror as the Careers plan the death of possibly my only friends. Their plan is flawless, except for the fact that they don't know how Gale got his twelve. If they catch Gale and Madge alone, they don't stand a chance. If they're with their group, they could win.

My mind is spinning and I can't focus. I knew the rebellion was too good to be true! My palms begin to sweat and I feel a throbbing pain in my forehead. Peeta's voice feels far away when he speaks. "Katniss, it's okay. Gale's strong. So is Madge. They'll be fine."

His words don't comfort me one bit. "You don't know that Peeta!" I snap. "We can't know. The Careers are strong."

"But they're outnumbered," he points out.

"It won't matter. Half of our alliance is made up of kids."

"I know. But I know they'll be fine."

Gale's POV:

Day three. I've survived three days in hell. I hope I'll be out soon. It's around noon and Madge and I are out checking our snares. We chat about meaningless things from home while we walk, but never anything about our families and friends or the people we left behind. By the time we pass all of our snares, We have three rabbits, two squirrels, and a duck. I reset them and we head back to camp.

When we get back, everyone is sitting in a circle discussing plans. "The Careers are the biggest threat to us right now. There are a lot of us, and chances are they are tracking at least one of us."

"You've got that right," a growl says from the bushes. And then the Careers attack.

Willow, Jasmine, and Tillman immediately climb a tree. Carver throws a knife that hits Caspian in the thigh. He falls to the ground clutching his left leg. Brooke jumps at Sparkle with a trident. Velvet throws a spear that hits Carrick's arm. This angers him and he goes after her. Madge runs to her aid. Amethyst is the only one left. I shoot a bow into her right arm so it will be harder for her to stab me. Then I run toward her with a knife.

Amethyst is just like Clove, but younger. I don't want to kill her yet though. She is still a person, and I really don't want to kill unless there is no other choice. Now that her arm is injured, her aim is off. Her knife penetrates the skin on my forehead and I am blinded with pain. The cut isn't very deep, but it hurts like hell. I move the knife around blindly, hoping to feel flesh. Blood drips into my eyes, and I can hardly see. Amethyst collapses in pain and I know I've gotten her. I don't know where, but it must've been somewhere vital. I hear a canon fire. I freeze in dread, listening for Amethyst's breath. I can still hear it after a few seconds, and I breath a sigh of relief. I look around frantically to make sure Madge is alive. She is, but she is cradling someone in her arms. Velvet. Suddenly, I see a figure standing over Madge with a knife. "Madge!" I cry. "Move!" I sprint toward her, thankful that she's close. She looks up just before the knife moves toward her. At the same time I push her out of the way. The knife buries deep into my leg and the worst pain I have ever felt in my life passes through me.

Madge screams, her blue eyes filled with anguish.

"I'm fine," I say. "Hurts like hell, but he didn't kill me. He would've killed you though. It would've gone straight through your heart."

"Thank you," she whispers.

"Go fight," I say reply hoarsely. "This time if he comes, you're dead."

Madge's nod is the last thing I see before I pass out.

**I'll respond to reviews next time. I have to leave now, so I barely have time to upload this. I'll try to update within the next two weeks. Bye! **


	16. Chapter 16

**Aquiliz: Thank you so much! I love long reviews!**

**peetalover240: Wow. That really sucks. Next year math will kill you. I'm on the inequalities chapter now. I hate them so much!**

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**I've had this chapter done since Monday but I never got a chance to update so here you go!**

Chapter Sixteen

Madge's POV:

I don't know how, but we manage to win the fight against the Careers. Gale's injury really pissed Brooke, Shelby, Carver, and me off, and the younger kids ran on adrenaline.

I walk over to Velvet's body. I brush her red hair out of her eyes, noticing how pretty they were, green with gold flecks, closing them gently. "I'm sorry," I whisper, unshed tears clouding my vision. "Goodbye," I kiss her forehead and walk toward Sparkle's body, taking her spear. A few minutes later, hovercrafts appear to collect them.

Gale is still asleep, his leg bleeding badly. I hope he makes it. I rip some fabric off my pants and bandage up his wound.

"We have to move," Shelby announces. "They know where we are now, and they could come get us at any time."

"What about Gale?" I ask. "We can't leave him here; he'll die." No one points out the fact that he might die anyways, even though it's obvious that's what everyone's thinking.

"We can carry him if we have to," Shelby replies. "Could you climb a tree and see if there is any other water in the woods?"

I nod and climb up as high as I can. After peering through my binoculars for a few minutes, I spot a massive, beautiful clearing with a small, glittering pond in the middle. "There's a clearing and a pond at the other end of the woods, near the meadow," I call down. "It's about five miles. We should spend the night here and leave in the morning."

I spend the rest of the day next to Gale, holding his hand in mine, willing him to open his eyes, squeeze my hand, show any signs of life, but it's futile.

As dusk begins to fall, Brooke says, "I'll cover Gale's watch. I won't be able to sleep for a while."

"I'll take Velvet's," Jasmine pipes up. "We'll have to come up with another watch schedule tomorrow."

A few seconds later, we receive a parachute. "Who's it for?" Tillman queries.

"I'll open it," says Carver. A few seconds later he says, "Stitches for Gale. Does anyone know how to use them?"

I do!" Willow exclaims. "My sister was training to be a doctor before…" her voice trails off and a single tear rolls down her cheek. We all know what she wants to say. "Anyways, she taught me how to use them."

"Hurry," Jasmine urges. "He's already lost a lot of blood."

Willow sits beside Gale's leg and pulls out the needle and thread. She tears off the makeshift bandage I made him and rolls up the leg of his pants. We all watch silently as she patches up Gale's leg, a look of complete concentration on her face. She's probably earning a lot of sponsors right now. After fifteen agonizing minutes, Willow sits back and says, "Done!"

"Thank goodness!" Brooke bursts out.

"It's a deep cut. It took seven stitches to mend."

"I'm surprised he's even alive," I whisper, feeling guilty. If I hadn't gotten distracted, this never would have happened.

Shelby senses this and says, "It's not your fault, Madge. It could've happened to any of us. We all have to grieve. And if we had to choose between his injury and your death, we'd all pick the injury, even him. I bet all of our mentors would too, and all the people in the Capitol. You guys are a team. If you'd died and he could've stopped it, he wouldn't be able to live with himself. All of us would have done the same if the situation were reversed. I'm sure you would too. That's what an alliance is all about. Being there for each other in our moments of weakness."

"Thanks." A tear rolls down my cheek.

I make a fire and cook dinner. Even though there are a lot of us, we have a lot of leftovers, since no one is very hungry.

My watch is second to last. About halfway through, Gale stirs. I fling my arms around him. "Gale!" I cry. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. How long was I asleep?"

"About eighteen hours," I respond, helping him sit up.

"Did anything happen?"

"No. We're moving after everyone wakes up though. It's gonna be about five miles."

"Okay. I hope I won't hold you guys up too much."

"Gale, we'll go as slow as we need to. You risked your life to save mine. You're lucky to be alive. I owe you."

"You don't owe me anything. You gave me a whole bunch of money for the strawberries every day, and you gave me a pretty decent district partner."

For the third time today, I cry.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing. I'm just really glad you're alive."

"It's okay," Gale whispers. He envelops me in a tight hug, his strong arms wrapped around me, and for the first time since I entered the arena, I feel safe. "Thank you," I say, our faces mere inches apart.

He holds my gaze for a few moments and I can feel his warm breath on my cheek. "It was nothing." Time seems to freeze as he closes the gap between us to kiss me. I wrap my arms around his neck and smile. I've never been kissed before, and it's perfect. I don't know how long we kiss, but when we finally break apart, grinning, the sun is rising and I know that we have to leave soon. I wake Willow up for her watch anyways, then curl up against Gale's chest, listening to his steady heartbeat, and fall asleep.

**This chapter would have gone into Katniss's POV right now but I did that and the chapter was way too long so it'll be in the next chapter. I've been trying to find different words for said since I always use it and it probably makes this story really boring. Let me know how that worked out! I won't be updating for a while because I can only update Tuesdays and on the weekend. On Tuesday I have an open house for a school. On the weekend I have a confirmation meeting and another open house so I won't be updating for a while. I'm super excited though because the school I'm seeing on the weekend is the second oldest in the state and people say the architecture is really nice. And my English teacher from last year works there now and she was the best teacher ever! She was the only good English teacher I've had. She left me with some boring guy who lectures us on grammar. It sucks. See you in two weeks and don't forget to review!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Hi guys! I finally updated. I forgot to tell you, but the last chapter put us at a hundred pages! Yay! By the way, you guys have got to read a book called **_**Delirium**_** by Lauren Oliver. It's totally awesome. And **_**Legend**_** by Marie Lu also. Happy voting day! I was at school and this little first grader was talking to me. She said, "I'm voting for Obama!" Then I said, "You're not eighteen, you can't vote!" She said, "My whole family is voting for Obama, so I am too." I told her, "That's weird. Most Cubans are for Romney," because the little girl was Cuban. Then I asked, "Do you know why?" Then she said, "Because Obama steals money!" It was the funniest thing EVER! No offense to Obama though. It was just so cute, I had to share it.**

**peetalover240: Thanks!**

**Project alpha: Well, finally, something I can actually use to make my writing better. Thanks!**

**Guest: Me too.**

Chapter Seventeen

Katniss's POV

"Finally!" I gasp, "Something we can work with!" Surprisingly, Gale and Madge kissing doesn't bother me at all. In fact, it makes me happy. We can finally get more sponsors!

"Just because it worked last year doesn't mean it will this time," Peeta points out.

All of a sudden, a beeping sound comes from our computer. I smirk. "Told you so." I walk over to the computer. This week has been the first time I've seen one. It's white, and very sleek and modern. When we arrived here, Effie explained that before the Dark Days, people used something called a mouse to navigate, but now, all we do is touch what we want done, and the computer will process it.

I glance at the screen. Madge has twenty-seven new sponsors and Gale has sixteen. I tap the first sponsor's name, which happens to be Diamond Brittle. A brief biography comes up. Whenever I sign sponsors, I wonder why a bio is necessary, but I've learned to stop questioning it, since I will never get an answer.

Apparently, Diamond is a twenty-two year old girl who works as a chef in President Snow's mansion. She is sending in one hundred thousand Capitol coins to support Madge. I use half of her money to send in a meal large enough to fill the whole alliance for a few days. The coolest thing about sending in food is that I can pick exactly what I want to send. I choose the bread from District Ten, which is my favorite. It has a sour taste but is delicious. I also choose the lamb stew and some venison. I can't wait to see their faces when they get this.

Diamond sends in the most money, aside from Prim and my mother. They send in the same amount. Gale's mother sends all that she has, only five thousand Capitol coins. Many of the sponsors are from District Twelve, so we don't get too much, but a few creepy Capitol women who love romance send in a lot of money. When I finish signing sponsors, Gale and Madge have three hundred thousand, four hundred and fifty seven Capitol coins.

"I'll go down and see if there are any people I can convince to sponsor Gale and Madge." Peeta says. "We'll need it for the end of the Games."

"Okay," I agree. He's right. By the end of the Games, a bow and arrow will be one million, two hundred and fifty thousand Capitol coins. I know they already have a bow and arrow, but there is no way the one they have will be able to go high enough to hit the kink in the design. We need a weapon with extreme accuracy.

All of a sudden I hear a scream and a bang on the door. I open it hastily to see Wiress in tears. "Carrick found her!" she gasps. "What do I do?" The only time I have ever heard her speak in a complete thought is when one of her tributes lives depends on it. That is how I know this is serious.

"Send her something to get her to the woods, the part near the meadow. The alliance is there and they will help her."

"Okay, she's not too far away. She's already in the meadow. Thank you so much Katniss!"

"Any time."

When Wiress is gone, I focus the large screen on Electra. Sure enough, the Careers are there, chasing her down. A parachute lands with a miniature tree in it. She must get the message, because she charges off towards the woods. This throws the Careers off for a second, because she was originally running toward the mountains.

As soon as Electra breaks through the trees, she is less than half a mile away from the alliance. I focus my screen on them. The noise the Careers are making wakes them up and they pick up their weapons. The older members stand protectively in front of the younger ones, and my heart soars with pride.

Electra finally arrives in the clearing, with the Careers close behind her. Carrick throws a spear, hitting Carver in the neck. He falls to the ground, lifeless. Gale, his eyes clouded with grief, picks the spear up and hurls it at Caspian. It buries itself in his head and he dies. At this point, the tributes from District Two know they're outnumbered and do the smart thing. They run away the way they came.

I let myself cry for Carver now that the danger has passed. Brooke walks over to Caspian and pulls the spear out of his body, cleaning the blood off in the river. She isn't the least bit sad that he is dead. After cleaning the spear, she takes his net. Then she falls beside Carver's body and cries.

The parachute that I sent earlier finally falls to the ground beside Gale. He opens the package and his face lights up. "Willow," he says gently, "I know that you're really sad right now, but I have something that might cheer you up."

"What?" she asks, tears streaming down her face.

"All this food is ours."

Everyone grins despite their loss and Willow is ecstatic. She runs up to Gale and gives him a hug. "I don't know what you did to get that much food, but thank you."

"Electra, are you hurt?" asks Madge.

"No, I'm okay." She begins to cry. "I'm so sorry guys. This is all my fault."

"No it isn't," Shelby soothes. "Come on. Have some food. It'll make you feel better. The bread's really good. It's from my district."

"Thank you." She wipes her eyes and takes a slice of bread and a serving of lamb stew.

Willow's eyes light up when she sees the venison. "It's just like home!" she cries, taking some. "Mom loves this stuff. It's delicious, guys, you have to try some." Then she adds, "Thank you so much, Katniss." I smile. Willow's such a sweet girl. I'll be devastated if she dies.

An Avox brings in lunch, Effie on her heels. She's been in and out of the room ever since the Games started. The Avox places four plates on the table, each with a sandwich. I recognize the bread from District Nine, with small seeds in it. Effie says, "It's called a hamburger, Katniss. The bread is from Nine. The meat comes from a cow from Ten. The burger has pickles, lettuce, tomato, bacon, onion, and mustard, all from Eleven. The little strips on the plate are called French fries. They're made from potatoes." She hands me a bottle of something called ketchup.

"Dip the fries in this. It's delicious." Then she realizes that Peeta isn't here. "Where is Peeta?" Effie asks.

"Looking for sponsors."

"This one can be for him," she says, placing another plate on the table."

Haymitch decides to wake up at this point. "Is that food?" he asks.

"Well finally!" I shout.

"Did I miss anything?"

I sigh, exasperated. "No, of course not. Only _four people died_!"

"Who?"

I explain everything that has happened in the past twenty-four hours.

"Such a shame," Haymitch mutters. "I had such high hopes for Carver."

I nod. "Lunch is here. It's burgers and fries. Effie says they're good."

Haymitch's face lights up. "I haven't had one of these since my first year mentoring. You'll love it, sweetheart."

Effie sits down on the couch. "Finally, I can watch the Games. I haven't any time to see Gale and Madge."

I sit at the table, eating my lunch. Haymitch gets up, grabs his plate, and sits back down on his bed.

We watch the Games in silence for about an hour. Peeta gets back and I give him his burger. "Any luck?" I ask.

"A few people said they'd consider sponsoring them," he replies.

We sit in comfortable silence and continue to watch intently. The screen is on a general view of the arena, so we aren't zoomed in on one particular tribute.

A few hours later, a few minutes before dinner should be served, we are still watching quietly. An Avox brings in our meal and we all turn to him.

"Thank you," I say.

Just as the words escape my lips, a bloodcurling scream comes from the screen.

**Okay, that was a loooong chapter, all in Katniss's POV. I seriously had to put a burger in there because I want one sooo badly right now. I am so tired. I should probably go to bed but I'm probably going to be up all night watching the election. It's gonna be so close this year, I really want to know who wins! I'll try to update this weekend but I don't know if I'll be able to because yesterday was the anniversary of my cousin's death and my dad might want to do something. Actually it's going to be like this through December because two years ago there were a whole bunch of people in my family that died all in a row. It really sucked. My cousin was only fifty. Also on Saturday I'm going to a funeral thing because there's this seven-year-old I know whose dad died a couple years ago and we're going to put his ashes in the cemetery. I feel so bad for him. He's such a sweet kid. Okay, I'm going to shut up because I don't want to totally depress you guys. Review?**


	18. Chapter 18

**Okay I am really sorry for the delay in updates!**

**Peetalover240: Thanks! I'm sorry you had to wait so long to find out what happens! I'll try not to let it happen again!**

**Cookie05: Thanks! That really means a lot to me.**

**Now here is your chapter!**

Chapter Eighteen

Madge's POV:

As soon as I hear the scream, I climb a tree. Will the eleven remaining tributes become ten? I look all around and spot a mutt. It is a hideous creature that looks like a cross between a bear and a spider. It is at least twenty feet tall, with eight legs and thick fur. It can climb, too, but not very high up. I spot Allura, Foxface's sister, trying to fight it off, but she doesn't stand a chance. Like her sister, she is incredibly smart and cunning, but she isn't a good fighter. A plan begins to form in my head. "Guys," I call down from the tree. "I think it's time to go get the Careers. I have a plan."

I quickly explain the situation with the mutt to my allies. Then I round up Willow, Electra, Jasmine, and Tillman. "Guys," I say, "we're about to do something really dangerous. You don't have to if you don't want to. I'll understand. But it will help us eliminate our biggest enemy in this competition. Carrick."

"I'm in," Electra says immediately. "He killed my district partner. He's gonna pay."

Everyone else agrees, but Willow hesitates. "I don't want to kill anyone," she says slowly, "but if it will help us survive, I will. Plus, there's what he did to Gale."

I nod. "Good." I turn to Gale, Brooke, and Shelby. "I need you guys to move all of our supplies up a tree, as high as you can. I'll bring the fastest runners of our group and try to lure the mutt to the Cornucopia. You three can take a more concealed path and bring weapons in case the plan fails. You'll hear the mockingjay tune if we're in trouble."

Gale nods. "Be careful."

"We will." With that, Willow, Electra, Jasmine, Tillman, and I take off.

"The mutt is about half a mile this way," I explain. "Maybe we can get Allura to help us."

We reach the mutt in five minutes. Allura has gotten tired, and we have arrived just in time to save her. "Run!" I yell. "Toward the Cornucopia! Now!" Allura doesn't need convincing. She disappears into the trees. The five of us follow. "It's about two miles from here. If we're lucky, we'll all make it," I pant.

When we have about a quarter of a mile left, we begin to get tired. I hear a terrified scream behind me and turn around. Jasmine has tripped over a root and twisted her ankle. The mutt and I reach her at the same time. It scratches her side and she screams again in pain. I take my dagger out of my pocket and hit it in between the eyes. While it is distracted, I pick Jasmine up and sprint toward the Cornucopia.

When we finally get there, I carry Jasmine off to the side and conceal her among the leaves and tree roots. "Stay there and don't move," I whisper. "Hopefully no one will see you." Then I run back to the group. The Careers have spotted the mutt and drawn their weapons. Amethyst throws a knife at it, but she is panicked, and it misses, hitting Willow in the arm instead. She pulls it out and hurls it at Carrick, wounding his throwing arm. He lets out an angry, guttural scream, charging at her with his sword. Just in time, Shelby, Brooke, and Gale burst through the trees. Shelby kicks Carrick from behind and swings blindly. I suddenly get a crazy, insane, idea. I run between Carrick and the mutt.

"Carrick, wait!" I shriek. "It's me you want, not her. Twelve killed your brother, not ten!"

Carrick charges toward me with his sword at the ready. When he is right in front of me, I move out of the way, the mutt appearing in front of him. His eyes flicker with anger, and that moment is all the mutt needs. It rakes its claws across Carrick's chest and he falls to the ground. I grab his sword and stab the creature in the head before it can do any more damage. A horrific, putrid scent comes from the blue goo that oozes out of its wound. I step to the side and throw up. Then I hear two cannons.

My brain spins, wondering why there were two cannons instead of one. Then it hits me. "Jasmine!" I cry. "Jasmine!" I go to the spot where I left her, and she is lying there, lifeless. A pool of blood surrounds her head. I wonder why, since her side was hurt. I look around frantically, wondering what killed her. Then I spot an abnormally large tree branch near her body. I begin to cry hysterically. The Capitol did this to her. The Gamemakers made the branch fall. The arena is too flawless for it to be an accident. Fury boils inside of me. The whole time I've been in the arena, I've thought Carrick was the enemy. But now I realize that he was just another pawn for the Capitol to use. He might not have wanted to do this, to be thrown into this mess. But he was. And it's the Capitol's fault. The stupid Capitol. They killed Carver and Zia and Titan and Velvet and Jasmine. Rue and Thresh died because of them. Peeta would have too, if Katniss hadn't found him. The Capitol is the real enemy in these Games. No one really wants to be here unless the Capitol brainwashed them into believing their stupid crap. I wipe my eyes and stand up, planting a kiss on Jasmine's forehead. "I'm sorry," I sob. I kiss three fingers and extend them to her, promising myself this: I will not let the Capitol win. I will not let anyone else close to me die. I will show the Capitol that I am stronger than they are. There will be no victor. Now, I just need a plan.

**I know you guys might not be happy right now, but it had to happen. I didn't want her to die either. Anyways, if I get to fifty reviews with this chapter, the next will be nice and long and up by next week, guaranteed. I need seven more. Also, if you haven't read **_**Divergent**_**, you should. It's awesome. So is Breaking Dawn Part Two. There is a twist at the end that made me so scared. I won't mention it in case some of you haven't seen it yet! Go ASAP! It's awesome! See you next week!**


	19. Chapter 19

**OMG guys I'm so sorry I haven't updated in so long. I've been so busy. Merry Christmas/Hannukah/Kwanza/whatever else people celebrate in December and Happy 2013! School started today so I have a huge headache. **

**Cookie05: Thank you!**

**Kat-rue: Thanks! I hate it when I can't log in.**

**Storyfrikk: Don't worry. That will never happen. I love her too much.**

**Anonime: Thanks so much!**

**Emmy98: Thanks for reviewing. I had totally forgotten about this fanfic because I've been so busy and then I got the email that said new review so I remembered to post the next chapter. Thanks!**

**So I hope you guys had a great Christmas! I did. I saw my little cousins and went skiing in North Carolina. My legs are still sore. Anyways, enjoy the next chapter!**

Chapter Nineteen

Madge's POV:

I run back toward the others as fast as I can. Tillman has tears streaming down his face. "I'm so sorry," I whisper.

He nods as I bend down to whisper in his ear. "It was the Capitol. The Gamemakers made a branch fall off the tree she was under. We're gonna make them pay. If you have a plan, let me know."

Gale approaches me slowly and wraps his arms around me. I bury my face in his chest and whisper, "We're getting out of here somehow."

After telling everyone else the same message except Allura and Amethyst, Electra says she wants to tell me something. "Beetee told me there was a kink in the forcefield. If you know about it, you can see it. In this arena, it's directly over the Cornucopia."

I grin. Sure enough, there are small ripples in the sky above the Cornucopia. A plan begins to form in my head. Now, I just need a way to tell the others without tipping the Capitol off.

All of a sudden, I notice Amethyst sneaking up behind Shelby. I've been so preoccupied that I haven't noticed that we haven't moved away from the Cornucopia. "Shelby!" I yell, too late. She whirls around just as Amethyst throws her axe. Her eyes widen in shock for a moment right before the axe buries itself in her chest. "Run, guys!" Gale yells. I run to Shelby's body and grab her backpack as Amethyst throws another axe. I duck and it misses my head by less than an inch.

About ten minutes later, we stop to catch our breath. I count everyone to make sure we are together and my heart almost stops. "Guys," I say nervously, "Brooke is missing."

"Well, we haven't heard a cannon." Electra replies. "That's a good sign."

Suddenly, Brooke bursts through the trees. "Oh my god!" Willow cries. "We were so worried!" She runs up and hugs her friend.

"Amethyst tried to kill me. I knocked her out."

"Are you alright?" Gale asks.

"Fine. We're gonna have to do this at a different time though. Noon tomorrow should be okay, right?"

I nod, knowing Plutarch Heavensbee will know what to do.

We walk back to our campsite, taking down all of our belongings and setting them up again. We eat in silence and ponder what tomorrow will bring. I take first watch, knowing I won't be able to sleep. I wake Electra after a few hours to take my place.

The next day, I wake up to see bright sunlight in my eyes. I must have been more tired than I thought. It is probably around nine in the morning.

"We should probably get going," Electra says. "It takes about an hour of walking to get to the tree."

I am about to speak, but I am interrupted by a cannon. "That was either Amethyst or Allura," I say.

"Six left," Willow whispers.

"Come on guys," Gale commands. "Let's go."

An hour later, Electra is winding the wire we need around the tree. We all carry it to the Cornucopia. I quickly tie an arrow to it. "Gale," I whisper, "I need you to shoot this at the sky. Be careful." I pull him into a hug and speak softly into his ear. "Make sure you hit the kink in the forcefield. It looks like little waves in the sky." I point in the general direction quickly, before anyone in the Capitol will understand what the gesture means. "Whatever you do, don't let the Capitol's hovercraft pick you up. As soon as they find out what we're doing, they'll send someone. If they try to get you, run and hide. Don't leave me in Thirteen wondering whether or not you're alive."

He nods. "I won't. Be careful that the same doesn't happen to you. I love you."

"I love you, too," I whisper. He kisses me softly, then takes the bow and arrow in his hands.

"Tell me when, Electra," he calls. We wait for what seems like years, though it can't be more than ten minutes.

"NOW!" Electra yells. In one swift motion, Gale shoots the arrow at the forcefield, making it collapse. I gasp and tears come to my eyes as I see the real sky and sun, not one that the Gamemakers have created. A hovercraft comes with the number 13 on the side. A ladder drops and I clutch Gale's arm, making sure that he comes with me.

"Congratulations," a familiar voice says when we get into the elevator.

"Katniss!" I cry, jumping up to give her a hug. She hugs Gale, too. Gale and Peeta don't acknowledge each other, besides nodding their heads stiffly in greeting. I greet Peeta and Haymitch just as a strict looking woman approaches. "I am President Alma Coin, the head of District Thirteen. I trust that you will help us in our attempt to bring down the Capitol."

I nod. "I will."

"Good. You need to go to the medical ward to get cleaned up and have your old wounds treated. We'll all be in District Thirteen by the time the doctors are finished with you. Hopefully a special friend of yours will be excited to see you when we arrive. Someone else is also very eager to see you. I'm sure you will be very pleased to see them." She leads me down the hall as I ponder who might be waiting for me in District Thirteen.

Coin stops at a plain white door. "Here we are," she says, opening the door.

"Madge!" someone cries, running up to hug me.

"Prim, I missed you so much!"

"Me too. My mom is going to heal you while I watch. Coin said I could help treat wounds during the rebellion, so I get to learn how here!" Prim is overflowing with excitement.

"Hello, Madge," Mrs. Everdeen greets, approaching us with a smile.

"Hi, Mrs. Everdeen."

"I know you're not going to like this, but I'm going to have to knock you out in order for me to completely heal you."

"Okay," I reply. If it were anyone other than her, I would definitely refuse, but I know Katniss's mother won't hurt me.

"Good." Then she sticks a needle into my arm and my world goes black.

**Okay, the next chapter is the last one! There will be a sequel but I don't know what it will be called. I'm going to try to have it up by next week, but in my school eighth grade has to teach for a certain teacher all day one day. If I get a teacher that teaches a whole bunch of stuff, like the ones that do the little kids or teach 5****th**** and 6****th**** grade Science and English, I will probably be gone for a while because I have to plan all the lessons. Don't forget to review!**


	20. Chapter 20

**Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I haven't had a lot of time to write lately. The eighth graders have to teach a class tomorrow and I got seventh grade religion and English, so I had to plan their lesson. Next week is a fun week in school and we have a whole bunch of days with different themes, like Wacky Tacky Day and Decade Day, and we usually don't have much homework during this week, so I'm hoping I can have the sequel to this story up by next Tuesday.**

**Anonime: The hints were really subtle because I don't like stories overly romantic. **

**Nintendgal101: Thank you!**

**Now, enjoy the last chapter.**

Chapter Twenty

Madge's POV:

When I come to, the first thing my brain registers is my immense thirst. Prim is sitting next to me. "Water," I croak. She gets up silently and brings me a glass of water. "Drink slowly. Otherwise you'll just throw it back up. It's been a while since you've had a large amount of anything in your stomach. I nod even though the only thing I want to do is gulp it all down in one sip.

Now that I can talk, I ask, "How long was I out?"

"Three days. We fixed you all up." She hands me a bowl of soup.

"How's Gale?"

"He woke up yesterday."

"And Brooke?"

Her expression changes from excited to somber in a matter of seconds. I wait impatiently for her to respond, but she remains silent.

"Where is Brooke?!" I yell.

Prim sighs. "The Capitol got her and Willow."

Tears come to my eyes. "Willow? She's only twelve! We have to save them!"

"I know. But Coin isn't too inclined to help them."

"Why not?"

"She thinks they're either dead or too far gone because of what the Capitol is doing to them."

"That's crazy! Brooke is one of the strongest people I know! And she wouldn't let anything happen to Willow! She'd give up her life for her!"

"I know." Prim sighs again. "Maybe Katniss can convince her. If they don't have a Mockingjay, they don't have a rebellion."

"I hope so. Anyways, what about Electra?"

"She's fine too, except for a nasty leg wound. She fell when she came in. She was pretty weak. Amethyst is here too, even though you probably weren't planning on asking."

"Why would I? I couldn't care less where she is. She killed my friends. It might not have been her fault, but she still wanted to kill as much as Carrick did."

"I know. I've been to visit her a few times. You might hate me for saying this, but she's kind of nice without her knives."

"Are you crazy?"

"I'm serious. She feels really bad about what she did to you in the arena. You should go talk to her."

"I'll think about it."

"Okay, do you remember how when you came in, you were told a couple of people were here for you?"

"Yeah."

"Well, we're going to go visit them now."

I get up slowly, stretching my limbs. Prim leads me past several white doors until she reaches a staircase. We go up a few flights and enter a nice looking apartment. I look around and take in how amazing the place looks.

"Hi, Madge," a familiar voice greets me.

"Cinna!" I cry running up to hug him.

"Are you okay?" he asks.

"I'm fine. How about you?"

"I'm better now that you and Gale are back. I knew you would make it."

I smile. "Thanks."

"Well, Cinna, we have to go. There are other people waiting to see her. I just thought she might have wanted to know that you're here."

"Bye Madge," he says.

"Bye."

As soon as we are out the door, Prim leads me down the hall to another apartment. We enter and I begin sobbing. "Mom!" I cry, running to her.

"Hi, Madge," she replies, stroking my hair. "I missed you."

"I missed you, too."

"Let me show you something."

"Okay."

She gets up and begins to walk around the room.

"You're cured!" I gasp.

"Mrs. Everdeen is a good doctor."

"How's dad?" I ask.

"Great. He's helping President Coin come up with a strategy to bring down the Capitol."

"Good. Is there anyone else here I should know about?"

"Delly and her family are here. So are Gale and Peeta's families."

"Cool. I'll go visit them later. What now?"

"Well, now that you're better, we should be getting the rebellion started."

"Okay. Tell me what I have to do."

"First of all, we are going to film you and the other tributes who are here and play the footage in the districts, since Beetee figured out how to hack his way in to the Capitol's system."

"That's awesome for the rebellion!"

"I know. We also have to announce that Brooke and Willow are in the Capitol."

"That should make people want to rebel. They were favorites."

"That's the point. We want to reveal things the government has tried to keep hidden so that they want to fight back."

"Good idea."

"I'm glad you think so. We start tomorrow."

**Okay! That's the end of the first story. The sequel should be up by next Tuesday, hopefully. Follow my author alerts if you are interested in reading the next one! Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I hope you guys enjoyed my story! One last review and I'll write in all my spare time this week to get the next chapter up!**


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